A man is suspected of stabbing his wife to death in their New York City apartment before taking his own life, leaving their infant son with his mother's body. The incident occurred in Astoria, Queens.
Mary Kate Golding, 34, was discovered in the couple's basement apartment shortly after midnight on Tuesday with a knife lodged in her back. Authorities believe her husband, Joseph Azzaretto, 33, killed her following an argument. Law enforcement sources told the New York Post that Azzaretto left their 11-month-old son, Nolan, with his wife's body.
The infant was found by a friend of Golding's, who reportedly received a call from Azzaretto confessing to the crime, according to insiders. A neighbor described the friend's reaction upon discovering the body as "screaming." The child was then taken by Golding's parents.
Azzaretto was found hanging from a tree in Astoria Park around six hours after his wife's body was discovered. Police have not officially classified the deaths as a murder-suicide, but investigators are operating under that premise.
Footage obtained by the New York Daily News purportedly shows Azzaretto outside the building speaking on his cellphone before leaving in a car. He was identified as a person of interest before his body was found. The park where Azzaretto was discovered is approximately two miles from the couple's home.
Golding and Azzaretto had moved to New York from Pennsylvania just two months prior to the incident. Golding worked as a set decorator in the film industry, with recent credits including "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" and "Goosebumps."
Neighbors described Azzaretto as having a temper, with some recalling instances of him arguing over parking spaces and calling him "angry," "crazy," and "mentally disturbed."
This is not the first instance of violence to impact the Azzaretto family. Six years ago, Joseph Azzaretto's younger brother, Nicholas, shot and killed their father, Frank Azzaretto, 58, in their family home in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. The shooting occurred in February 2020 during a domestic dispute involving their mother.
During court proceedings for Nicholas Azzaretto, the defense cited a history of abuse within the family. Nicholas Azzaretto, now 26, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter. Public records indicate he is no longer listed as an inmate in the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.