Around the same time, Tolomello spoke to a friend about incense and asked whether its scent could mask the odor of a skunk she said had been in her garage, the affidavit said. Assault, Police Say, Souderton Tolomello is charged with criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, and possession of an instrument of a crime. Anna Maria Tolomello, 48, is accused of killing Giovanni Gallina, described in a police affidavit as her common-law husband. She also confessed to attempting to resides in Italy, regarding his inability to get in contact with his father. Employees there told investigators they hadnt seen him in a while and, like Gallinas son, had received no explanation about his disappearance. But on Tuesday, just after Tolomello paid the diggers $350 and the dirt was still fresh, cops arrived armed with a search warrant. Authorities said that employees also noticed Gallina hadnt been seen in a while.. time later, encountering Tolomello in her driveway as they arrived. extended period of time, aside from going to Atlantic City or New York City for A preliminary hearing was set for April 19. Teen Suffocated 4-Year-Old Half-Sister to Death, Stuffed Victims Body in Plastic Bin Behind Their Home: Sheriff, Donald Trump's Lawyer Called New York's Attorney General a 'Black B*tch,' Ex-Legal Assistant Claims in Bias Suit, Man in Pickup Truck Ran Down Ex-Girlfriend's Family Members in 'Horrific' Rampage, Killed Dad and Toddler with Shotgun: Sheriff, Former Minneapolis Police Officer Thomas Lane Sentenced to Federal Prison for His Role in George Floyd's Death, Alex Murdaugh Associate and Former South Carolina Bank CEO Indicted for Alleged Fraud Topping $1M, '187 Minutes': Jan. 6 Committee's Prime Time Curtain-Dropper to Pick Apart Time Span Trump Failed to Act During U.S. Capitol Attack, S.C. Man Living Under Assumed Name Arrested in Oregon Arrested by U.S. The hole, police said, needed to be 7-feet long, 3 feet wide and 3 feet deep. The Bucks County DAs Office said the investigation began when Phillip Gallina said he had not heard from his father, with whom he almost daily communicated via WhatsApp. They encountered Tolomello in the driveway and she, unprompted, told them she had shot Gallina in self-defense, the court document states.

Around the same time, she allegedly asked a friend for "any tricks" to get rid of a skunk odor from her garage, according to the complaint.

They then went Anna Maria Tolomello, 48, is charged with criminal homicide, possessing the instrument of crime and tampering with evidence, according to the complaint. In a criminal complaint, Bucks County prosecutors say Tolomello, who was arrested this week, confessed to shooting Gallina in their home on March 16, 13 days before his body was discovered. Police say after shooting Gallina, Tolomello paid an acquaintance $350 to dig a hole in her yard with an excavator. The couple owned the pizzeria together. According to court documents, Tolomello allegedly told Phillip Gallina that his father was out of town on business and he left his phone at Pinas Pizza, the Chalfont eatery the two jointly owned. Police also recorded the person asking Tolomello where Gallina was, to which she replied, He is away, according to the affidavit.

Google reviews of Pinas Pizza appear overwhelmingly positive at 4.4 out of 5 over 230-plus reviews and several customers have even praised the defendant by name. Their usual daily WhatsApp text conversations, sent over the span of seven time zones and the Atlantic Ocean, had stopped without explanation. criminal homicide charge is a capital offense. She didnt say where he had gone or when he would return. is being held at the Bucks County Correctional Facility without bail, as the

She is charged with homicide, which is a felony, as well as misdemeanor offenses of possessing an instrument of crime, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse. Based on the criminal complaint, a combination of the concerned son reaching out to law enforcement and a cooperating subject (CS) proved to be crucial for the investigation byHilltown Township Police and Bucks County detectives. The two communicated daily via WhatsApp, Gallina's son told police. She also said she threw the mattress they were on away in the dumpster of their pizza shop, according to police. Man Threatened Witnesses on Facebook After Being Sentenced to Probation for

Tolomello said she disposed of the mattress she shot Gallina on by throwing it in the dumpster at the couple's business. Gallina and Tolomello are listed as the owners of Pinas He was funny, kind-hearted, and [a] good person all around.. Tolomello allegedly asked someone else 11 days earlier on March 18 if they had any tricks or tips on how to deal with a skunk in her garage, documents said. Tolomello allegedly disclosed that she removed the bloody mattress from the residence and transported it to Pinas Pizza, where she put it in the business' dumpster. Later on Tuesday, Hilltown Police and the Bucks County District Attorneys Office obtained a search warrant and went to Tolomello and Gallinas home. Afterward, Tolomello allegedly met the contractor at Pina's Pizza and paid $350 for the work. Road Crash That Sent One to Hospital, Fugitive A fifth person noted that the pizzeria is family owned frim [sic] Italy., Maria and Giovanni go out of their way, the customer said. I cover how law enforcement investigates crime in Philly's collar counties: Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery. She claimed she shot the victim in in his left temple while he was strangling her in the bed inside their master bedroom.. The hole, she allegedly told police, was to bury Gallina. Gallinas nephew, Filipo, reached through Facebook in his native Italy, expressed similar sentiment. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. But authorities in Bucks County say that Tolomello wrapped up the victims body in their master bedroom and hid the remains for 13 days all the while allegedly providing increasingly unsatisfactory answers about Gallinas whereabouts to Phillip Gallina, the victims son who lives in Italy. right to remain silent and stated that during the evening of March 16, she had Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Tolomello was arraigned Wednesday and is being held without bail. WhileAnna Maria Tolomello, 48, is accused of murdering 65-year-old Giovanni Gallina in their home with a Smith & Wesson .38 Special LadySmith revolver, the defendant allegedly blurted out without being prompted that she opened fire in self-defense.

Emailus. House built by Lancaster County Career & Technology Center students sells for $415.000, Police: York man stalked woman's home despite PFA order, The heat index tells you how dangerous heat can behere's how, Stray storm Thursday brings little relief, with many under a HEAT ADVISORY as the heat index nears 100, Harrisburg man arrested in shooting of taxi cab driver, Lancaster County man who admitted to killing his sister headed to court, Teen arrested in shooting death of 17-year-old in York. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Tolomello Tolomello then said she disposed of the mattress in the dumpster of the pizza shop, tried to clean the blood on the carpet in the home, wiped down the gun to get rid of fingerprints and got rid of the spent and unspent bullet casings, according to the affidavit. killing her common law husband and business partner, then attempting to cover Tolomello was arraigned Wednesday. The contractor alleged Tolomello reached out over text on March 19 and "requested [the contractor] dig a hole in her driveway, the complaint states. Employees at Pina's Pizza told police that Gallina had not been around in a while. shot Gallina in his left temple as he was strangling her inside their master When Tolomello saw the Hilltown Township detectives, she allegedly admitted she should have called them a week ago.

Police found Gallinas body wrapped in a blue tarp in the master bedroom and said it had what appeared to be one gunshot wound to the head.

she would only say that Gallina left his cell phone at the pizza shop and was Police say she shot and killed 65-year-old Giovanni Gallina at the couples home on Limekiln Pike in the Chalfont section of Hilltown Township, Bucks County.

He helped many people in need, including myself, and I will forever be grateful.

She told authorities that she shot him with a revolver, which was found in a car on her property, police allege. Employees at the pizzeria confirmed to police that they hadnt seen Gallina in some time. They say that Tolomello declared her self-defense without being asked for an explanation by law enforcement. Meanwhile, Tolomello had called a contractor whom they did not identify and said she needed to hire an excavator to dig a hole on her property because she needed to bury something. From Italy, Gallina reached out to his fathers long-term girlfriend, Anna Maria Tolomello, in Chalfont, police said Thursday.

Anna Maria Tolomello, 48, volunteered to police that she shot Giovanni Gallina, 65, in self-defense and that his body was wrapped up in the bedroom, according to the Bucks County Districts Attorneys Office. And the smell was his decomposing body that she left in the house wrapped up.

That is two days after Tolomello is accused of murdering Gallina, co-ownerof Pinas Pizzeria in Chalfont. A GoFundMe page was created to raise funds for Gallinas son to travel to America and for funeral costs.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 19. Police officers were alerted about Gallinas disappearance on Tuesday of this week after his son, who lives in Italy, told them he hadnt heard from his dad since around the time of the killing, according to the affidavit. A Pennsylvania pizzeria owner has been charged with murdering her co-owner and longtime partner and allegedly attempting to bury him in her driveway. Gallina, she said, had been strangling her on the bed, and she shot him in the temple with a .38-caliber revolver, the document said. hole in her yard, and that she intended to backfill it herself. Police were contacted on March 29 by Gallinas son, who in the hole, adding that an inquiry she had made on March 18 regarding masking The son told police that Tolomello told him Gallina had gone away on business, but she would not give specifics about where he went or how long hed be gone, the affidavit states. On Tuesday, police said they interviewed an unnamed individual who claimed Tolomello had texted them on March 19 about using their excavator to dig a hole in the driveway of her home in Hilltown Township, court records show. guilty. Investigators searched the home and found Gallinas body wrapped in a blue tarp and comforter in the home, according to authorities. Representatives with the Hilltown Township Police Department and the Bucks County District Attorneys Office then executed a search warrant. Leading local stories delivered on weekday mornings. Gallinas body was found double-wrapped in a blue tarp and comforter in the master bedroom, the Inquirer reports.

The son told police Gallina would not travel for any Tolomello is jailed on charges of homicide, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and possession of an instrument of crime. A Bucks County woman shot her partner dead, kept his decomposing body inside her home for more than a week and paid someone to dig a hole in her yard to bury the man, according to police records. Tolomello allegedly told the source "He is away.. She is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on April 19. Tolomello paid the contractor $350 to dig the hole and said she would do the rest of the work herself and fill in the hole with a shovel, the contractor later told police.

Tolomello stated that [on] the evening of March 16, 2022, she shot Gallina in his left temple while he was strangling her in the bed inside their master bedroom.. Pizza shop employees also told police officers they hadnt seen Gallina in a while, the affidavit says. A Hilltown Township woman has been charged with homicide in the death of her longtime partner, with whom she owned Pinas Pizza in New Britain, authorities said. Anna Maria Tolomello, 48, allegedly contacted the contractor three days after the slaying of her common in law husband, 65-year-old Giovanni Gallina, and asked for a hole seven feet long, three feet wide and three feet deep, according to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE. There was no indication she had hired an attorney, and she remained in custody Thursday, denied bail. Anna Maria Tolomello confessed to killing her business partner and significant other, Giovanni Gallina, but said she did so as he was allegedly strangling her. Tolomello admitted that the hole was dug to bury the body, and that the earlier question of the skunk smell was to cover the smell of the decomposing body, charging documents allege. ALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ / Staff Photographer. Anna Maria Tolomello, 48, is accused of killing Giovanni Gallina, 65, the owner of Pina's Pizzeria. Investigators spoke to employees at the pizza shop, and they said they had not seen Gallina in a while, according to authorities. The complaint said Tolomello told Phillip his father had taken a trip without his phone.

Anna is the best. There was no resting, you just kept on going," Tammy Duckworth says on an episode of PEOPLE's podcast Me Becoming Mom. When investigators executed a search warrant on the home, she admitted that she shot Gallina but said she acted in self-defense after he tried to strangle her on the bed. The pair owned Pinas Pizzeria in Chalfont, Pa. the court document says. Anna Maria Tolomello, 58, of Hilltown Township, has been Following the call, investigators went to the pizza shop, where Tolomello told police she disposed of the bloody mattress in The owner of a Chalfont pizza shop has been accused of She told the acquaintance she wanted to bury some items in the hole and would fill it in and pave it over herself, police say. Tolomellos preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for April 19. Later that day, investigators spoke with a cooperating Tolomello told the person that she would fill the hole in herself with a shovel and have it covered in blacktop, and she refused the persons offer to help, according to police. Sold! Police told her to stop talking, documents said. Tolomello and Gallina were known in the local community as the co-owners of Pinas Pizzeria, a small Italian pizza, salad, and calzones shop in Chalfont. Copyright 2022 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. If you would like to opt out of browser push notifications, please refer to the following instructions specific to your device and browser: Pa. Pizza Shop Owner Accused of Murdering Her Longtime Partner, Telling Victim's Son He Was Away 'on Business'. The son said he last heard from his father on March 16. Investigators found Gallina wrapped in blue tarp and a comforter in the master bedroom. As the days passed, Tolomello asked a friend whether or not burning incense would disguise the stench of a skunk that had slipped into her garage, the complaint alleges. By March 29, it was clear that law enforcement was watching Tolomello. Tolomello told them she knew why they were there, and admitted she should have called authorities a week ago, police said. Tolomello later confessed to police that she was trying to mask the scent of Gallina's decomposing body, which police found wrapped in a down comforter and a blue tarp in the master bedroom of the couple's home, according to the complaint.

Police say it was to bury her murdered boyfriend.

They never took a day off..

She claimed she would be doing that part of the job herself, the excavators later told police, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. 5761 Lower York Road Lahaska, PA 18931 USA

Under surveillance by investigators, the person then went to Tolomellos home and dug the hole, for which she paid the person $350 in cash, the affidavit said. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. The couple shared a home on 1400 block of Limekiln Pike in the Chalfont section of the township. Gallinas son, who lives in Italy, alerted Hilltown Police on Tuesday that he hadnt been able to reach of his father since March 16.

On Tuesday, police officers interviewed a cooperating witness who told them Tolomello sent a text on March 19 asking the witness to dig a hole in her driveway because she wanted to bury one or more items, according to the document. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. She was held in lieu of bail on charges of abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, possession of an instrument of a crime, and criminal homicide, the Bucks County DAs Office said. When asked about Gallinas whereabouts, The next day, authorities removed the aforementioned large bundle wrapped in a blue tarp and comforter.. connection with the shooting death of 65-year-old Giovanni Gallina. Investigators spoke to the contractor on March 29.

Anna Maria Tolomello, 48, was arraigned on Wednesday in connection with the shooting death of missing man Giovanni Gallina, 65, according to the Bucks County District Attorney's Office. According to the Inquirer, Gallina and Phillip, who lives in Italy, spoke on the phone constantly. A Pennsylvania pizza owner is accused of brutally murdering her business partner and boyfriend, described by authorities in some places as the defendants paramour and common law husband. When police showed up at her home to execute the search warrant, the complaint states, Tolomello abruptly confessed to shooting and killing Gallina, claiming it was in self-defense. Great people and great food.

Tolomello would not reveal why she wanted the witness to dig a hole but requested it be seven feet long, three feet wide and three feet deep. You'll get the latest updates on this topic in your browser notifications.

Tolomello has been charged with criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, and other related offenses. Richard McElhattan, of Levittown, who worked at Pinas Pizzeria for six years, said Gallina and Tolomello, who owned the business together and both worked there, were devoted to its success. In reality, police said, Gallina was dead.

Tolomello paid the witness $350 for his services later that day at Pinas Pizzeria, where police said the exchange was audio recorded. When he contacted Tolomello to ask about his father, the son told investigators, Tolomello would only tell him his father was "out of town" on business and would provide no further details, police say. Tolomello said she wiped down the gun she used for fingerprints, cleaned the night stand she retrieved the gun from and disposed of the spent shell casing from the incident, court documents state. When the witness asked Tolomello where Gallina was, she said, He is away.. Phillip Gallina hadnt heard from his father in weeks.

Anja Castrejon, a former employee at the pizzeria who started a GoFundMe campaign to cover funeral expenses for Gallina, described him as a funny, kindhearted man always willing to help people in need. Detectives from Hilltown Township caught up with Tolomello after she had hired a local contractor to dig a hole in her driveway, where prosecutors say she prepared to bury Gallinas body and pave over the evidence of her crime. the hole herself with a shovel afterwards before having it covered with Great food and Anns and her husband and are awesome , said another customer. Tolomello has been charged with criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, and related offenses. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Shop employees hadnt seen Giovanni Gallina, 65, and his son in Italy couldnt reach him, police said. Photo: Tolomello allegedly told him that Gallina was out of town "but did not provide any details of where Giovanni went or how long he would be gone," the complaint states. A man who answered the phone at the pizzeria Thursday afternoon declined to comment, saying he couldnt talk about that right now. Efforts to reach Gallinas son were unsuccessful. decomposing body, according to the criminal complaint. In an interview with police, Tolomello reportedly waived her

and paid $350 in cash, police said. News researcher Ryan Briggs contributed to this article.

She claimed that she fired the gun into Gallinas temple as he choked her in the bedroom.

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