It seems the simple wishes of a loving Long Island mother may have driven her grieving son to go on a killing spree, butchering four of his offspring before killing himself.
Joseph DeLucia’s mother, Theresa, had died just over a week before he began his killing spree, but it was what he found in her will that suddenly sent him into a spiral.
Because it was in 95-year-old Theresa’s will, signed in 2007, that she decreed how her estate would be divided equally among her four children after her death.
But the division of the property would also involve the sale of the Syosset home where Joseph had lived with his mother until her death for his entire life, leaving him essentially homeless.
Theresa Martha DeLucia, 95, died on August 19. Her will, signed in 2007, clearly stated that her estate would be divided equally among her four children after her death.
Distraught son Joe DeLucia Jr., left, thought he would end up homeless and killed four family members before committing suicide as they gathered to discuss settling his late mother’s affairs.
“I direct any member of my family who may be residing in said home at the time of my death to vacate the same to facilitate said sale and authorize my executor to take all steps reasonably necessary to give effect to this provision of my will,” states Theresa DeLucia’s will, which was made public in Nassau County court this week.
He would have seen Joseph receive a quarter of his late mother’s inheritance.
Dealing with the loss of his mother and now the loss of the home he had lived in for most of his life, Joseph, a former EMT and mechanic, appeared to lose his temper and began shooting, killing his three siblings and a niece.
Joseph grabbed a 12-gauge Mossberg shotgun and in cold blood shot to death his two sisters, Joanne Kearns, 69, of Tampa, Florida, Tina Hammond, 64, of East Patchogue, and his brother, Frank DeLucia, 63, of Durham, North Carolina.
After killing his brothers, he shot and killed his niece, Victoria Hammond, 30, of East Patchogue.
DeLucia’s sister, Tina Hammond, 64, was shot to death. She still lived on Long Island and helped care for her mother and brother.
Tina’s daughter, Victoria Hammond, 30, was Joseph’s niece. She was also shot dead.
The older sister, Joanne Kearns, 69, of Tampa, was in town for the funeral and also died.
Joseph DeLucia used this legally purchased 12-gauge pump-action shotgun to shoot his family to death.
Officers found Joseph DeLucia with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the front yard of this Syosset, New York, home. The other four victims were found inside
All four were found shot to death in the back study of the home when police entered after finding DeLucia’s body outside.
Joseph eventually took his own life, shooting himself in the front yard of the house.
“Joseph Jr.’s perception was that he was being written out of the will and that he was going to be displaced with no place to go,” said Nassau County Sheriff’s Capt. Stephen Fitzpatrick, noting that he had mental health issues.
DeLucia had always suffered from these problems and was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, depriving him of oxygen.
But her mental state plummeted after her mother died on August 19.
He said his brothers tried to assure him that they would take care of him no matter what, but he didn’t believe them.
“Based on that perception, he decided that day to get a loaded Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun, approached them in the back area of the house and from the kitchen fired 12 shots, hitting all four of them several times,” he said.
The house is believed to be worth about $900,000. Relatives wanted an appraisal done quickly because two of the brothers had come from out of town.
DeLucia opened fire inside the family home on Wyoming Court in Syosset, Long Island last month.
The home is believed to be worth about $900,000. Family members wanted an appraisal done quickly because two of the brothers had come from out of town for the funeral and were heading back to Florida and North Carolina.
Joseph had lived in the house all his life, and neighbors said losing his home was too much for him to bear.
Fitzpatrick said there was a wellness check at the home in 2022, but DeLucia “wasn’t showing any indication that we were going to take any action.”
“He had mental problems, psychological problems, which were communicated to us,” he said.
“He was kind of a hoarder, spending all his money on tools and stuff like that. The house was practically filled with tools and things related to auto mechanics.
“He lived there all his life, he never lived alone. So you can see the mindset that his world was changing now, at 59, and he was in a panic.”