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Anthony Paruolo, age 39, of North Bellmore, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Nassau County Court on Wednesday, Dec. 4, in the killing of Danielle Paruolo.
Nassau County Police responded to the couple’s North Bellmore residence at around 11:40 p.m. on Oct, 6, 2022, after several people called 911 reporting a domestic incident.
When officers arrived, they found Mrs. Paruolo lying in a pool of blood with a 13-inch chef’s knife lodged in her neck, according to the Nassau County DA’s Office. She had suffered numerous stab wounds to her head, neck, and torso, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The couple’s 8-year-old son was found unharmed in another bedroom.
Following the murder, Mr. Paruolo fled to a relative's home in Kings Park, where Suffolk County Police homicide detectives arrested him hours later.
Prosecutors said Paruolo was angered after learning that his wife was planning to divorce him. The attack unfolded just hours after she called her sister to tell her of her plans.
Mrs. Paruolo was a licensed clinical social worker and certified life coach, according to her LinkedIn page. The SUNY Old Westbury graduate spent more than a decade providing individual, couple, and family counseling services on Long Island.
“This defendant’s brutal murder of his wife destroyed a family and left a young child to grow up without a mother,” said Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly.
“This case serves as a devastating reminder of the tragic toll of domestic violence. We will continue to seek justice for Danielle Paruolo and her family, and we hope that today’s plea will provide them with some measure of closure.”
Paruolo is expected to get 20 years to life in prison when he’s sentenced in January 2025.
Meanwhile the couple’s son, now 10, is adjusting to his new life in the care of relatives. The first months after the murder saw the boy enduring nightmares nearly every single night, his uncle John Eletto, wrote on a GoFundMe.
“He was afraid to be alone in any room. He shook at any loud sound. He feared his mother’s murderer would somehow escape jail and kidnap or kill him,” Eletto wrote, adding that the boy is now “doing amazing” given what he’s endured.
“The nightmares have stopped… He is comfortable, happy, trusting and peaceful in his new home. We have our entire support system to thank for that; our incredible family and friends, community members, teachers, support staff, lawyers, our crime victim advocates and his amazing therapist!”
The GoFundMe campaign, established by Bellmore Merrick Braves board of directors, had raised more than $97,000 as of Wednesday, Dec. 4.
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