Syosset man killed family over inheritance, police say

SYOSSET, N.Y. -- Five people were shot and killed in Syosset in a gruesome murder-suicide brought on by an inheritance dispute, police on Long Island said.

Joseph Delucia Jr. killed his niece and three siblings at his home on Wyoming Court two days after his 95-year-old mother, who also lived there, was laid to rest, police said.

Gunman feared being cut out of mother's will, police say

After Theresa Martha Delucia's funeral at Calverton National Cemetery on Friday, her family discussed selling the house. On the day of the murders, they were due to meet with a realtor, but Delucia Jr. did not want to move and became violent, police said.

"The perception of Joseph Delucia was that he was being cut out of the will and was going to be displaced without a place to go. He did have past mental issues, psychological issues, that were reported to us, that we still have not confirmed. Because of that perception, he decided that day to get a loaded Mossberg shotgun, 12 gauge, approach them in the rear area of the house, and from the kitchen fired 12 shots striking all four of them," said Nassau County Police Captain Stephen Fitzpatrick.

Delucia Jr., 59, was being taken care of in his mother's will despite his perception, police said. But he was known to neighbors as someone who became volatile.

Police said the former auto mechanic shot his 69-year-old brother from Florida, 64-year-old sister from North Carolina, plus his 30-year-old niece and other 64-year-old sibling from East Patchogue, New York.

Delucia Jr. was found dead in a chair on the front lawn from a self-inflicted gunshot to the chest.