A woman was found stabbed to death in her Astoria, Queens home early Tuesday, and her husband was discovered hanging from a tree in a nearby park approximately six hours later, according to law-enforcement sources.
Mary Golding, 34, was found with stab wounds to her back at her residence on 41st Street near 19th Avenue around 12:30 a.m. Police sources indicated the knife was still in her back when she was discovered.
Her husband, Joseph Azzaretto, was found hanging from a tree in Astoria Park, located a short distance away, by law enforcement. Authorities are investigating the deaths as a murder-suicide.
The couple had an 11-month-old son who was found by one of Golding's friends. Sources familiar with the investigation stated that Azzaretto had called the friend to confess to the killing before his death. A neighbor described the friend's reaction upon finding Golding's body, saying she was screaming and took the baby before leaving the room.
Sources also indicated that Azzaretto fled the scene of the stabbing in a minivan and drove to Astoria Park, where it is believed he took his own life.
Neighbors reported that Golding and Azzaretto had moved to their basement apartment in Astoria from Pennsylvania approximately two months prior to the incident. An employee at a nearby auto body shop described Azzaretto as having a reputation for being "crazy" and "angry," and that he was "mentally disturbed." The employee recalled instances of Azzaretto leaving threatening notes for neighbors and physically confronting repo men over his car.
Azzaretto's brother, Nicholas Azzaretto, was previously arrested in 2020 for allegedly fatally shooting their father in Monroe County, Pennsylvania.