Vito Dambrosio, Plainedge deli owners' son, confessed to killing his parents, said the Lord was 'talking to him,' prosecutor says

The man charged with killing his parents in early December at the Plainedge deli they owned repeatedly confessed to the crime and told police he "thought the Lord was talking" to him, a Nassau County prosecutor said in court on Tuesday.

Vito Dambrosio, 30, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder at his arraignment for allegedly killing his mother, Angela Pulisciano, 62, and father, Antonio Dambrosio, 70, in the A & A Italian Deli & Pizza, the family business they had built.

Dambrosio cut his parents' throats, severing his mother's trachea and carotid artery, Assistant District Attorney Veronica Guariglia told state Supreme Court Justice Howard Sturim.

"She died at the scene because she couldn’t breathe," the prosecutor told the court.

Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly said that the brutal killing of the couple echoed the murder of "The Princess Bride" director Rob Reiner and his wife, who were stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home, , allegedly by their own son, Nick Reiner. Nick Reiner has been charged and pleaded not guilty to that crime and awaits trial.

"Much like the Reiners, they raised a child and for him to turn on them because of what he perceived as them not helping him with his issues," she said.

According to prosecutors, Dambrosio became estranged from his family in November after an incident involving his sister. He hit her buttocks, then made a sexual overture toward her, prosecutors said. 

He was arrested and charged with forcible touching. On Nov. 25, against the recommendations from the prosecution, District Judge Geoffrey Prime released Dambrosio with an ankle monitor and ordered him to undergo a mental health evaluation.

Prime also allowed him to pick up some belongings at the family’s home, but otherwise ordered him to stay away.

"I would never say any judge is at fault," Donnelly said after the hearing. "The judge makes a decision based on his opinion and his review of the case, although I disagree with it, certainly it would have been better if he wasn't on the street at the time this happened."

Dambrosio told police that he was living in his car after he was arrested.

"He had nowhere to live and nowhere to work, and his simmering anger finally boiled over into the alleged murder of these beloved business owners," Donnelly said in a news release. "Angela and Antonio’s deli was a community staple; always filled with regulars whom the couple knew by name. Their tragic loss has been heartbreaking to the many customers who frequented their store over the years." 

On Dec. 4, Dambrosio confronted the couple in the deli, arguing with them in the back room before taking a 14-inch knife and cutting the throats of both his parents, prosecutors said.

Police found his mother dead behind the deli counter.

The elder Dambrosio, who was attacked in the back kitchen of the deli, survived long enough to be taken to Nassau University Medical Center where doctors pronounced him deceased.

The son stayed at the scene, police and witnesses said, covered in blood with cuts to his hands. The knife was found at the scene.

"I stabbed my mother and father in the throat," he told responding Nassau County Police Officers Renee Coff and Daniel Kalin, according to court records. "All that they did to me is on TikTok. I confessed on TikTok. I thought the Lord was talking to me and I snapped. After everything I gave to them, after everything I did for them, they kicked me out. I was listening to the lord."

Prosecutors said his TikTok posts on his feed @Jesus333 related to the alleged crime have been removed.

Dambrosio's lawyers, Raymond Queliz and Siara Ossa, requested a mental evaluation for their client and maintained his right to a fair trial.

"We look forward to receiving discovery and making sure that he gets the best possible defense," Queliz said.

Dambrosio will be back in court on Jan. 30.