Investigators in suburban Pittsburgh now say the shooting death of a 33-year-old former teacher likely was a “crime of passion.” Rachael DelTondo was shot multiple times in her mother’s driveway on Sunday. Investigators believe she knew the shooter.
A family member says DelTondo was returning from getting ice cream with friends on mother’s day. As she was getting out of her car at her mother’s home, neighbors in the quiet, tight-knit community say they heard as many as a dozen gunshots, reports CBS News’ Nikki Battiste.
Police say DelTondo was shot at point blank range on Sunday and died in the driveway. They are now reviewing surveillance video and speaking with neighbors to try and find out who pulled the trigger.
Rachael DelTondo
Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier says investigators have sent DelTondo’s cellphone to a lab to try and unlock any clues inside.
“We’re working with every resource we have,” Lozier said. “We’re investigating everyone that was driving around Aliquippa that night that was anywhere near this young lady’s house.”
Two years ago, police questioned DelTondo after finding her in a parked car with a 17-year-old boy. DelTondo was suspended from her job as a teacher at the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School when an Aliquippa police report of the incident was leaked to the press over a year later.
John Paul covered the story for the Beaver Countian.
“The police get a call at night for a suspicious vehicle. They arrive. They see a vehicle that’s parked with the engines off and the windows steamed over,” Paul said of the incident. “She was allowed to go on her way. There was no charges filed.”
DelTondo and the teen told police they were just talking. But Paul says DelTondo later told him she had received death threats, including one that promised she wouldn’t live to see the end of 2018. DelTondo told him that she did not know who they were coming from.
Frank Catroppa
CBS News
“She contacted the police – Aliquippa Police Department. She told me it took about four days for them to come and get a report from her about it,” Paul said.
“Was she living in fear?” Battiste asked.
“At times, certainly I think she was,” Paul replied.
Frank Catroppa is DelTondo’s ex-fiance. The pair ended their engagement more than a year ago.
“It’s an unfortunate tragedy, you know, and hopefully she gets justice. We were in a relationship for eight years. It’s quite some time….It’s sad. Sad case,” Catroppa said.
Catroppa’s attorney says he had nothing to do with DelTondo’s murder and he’s cooperating with police. Investigators say the public is not in danger, but they have not identified a suspect or a motive. The Aliquippa Police Department has not responded to our request for comment.
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