Buffalo, NY (WBEN) Three sisters were convicted in a bench trial of attacking their elderly father.
State Supreme Court Justice Christopher J. Burns has found 41-year-old Elissa Pietrocarlo, 31-year-old Grace Pietrocarlo, and 23-year-old Annabel Pietrocarlo guilty of one count of Assault in the Second Degree, a Class “D” violent felony. The judge rendered his decision after a three-day bench trial.
On September 9, 2017, at approximately 4 p.m., the victim was on his computer in his area of the kitchen, when his wife, Christine Pietrocarlo, accused him of defiling her name online to his friend. His daughter Annabel then choked the victim from behind, forced him to the ground, and took $1,100 in cash from the victim’s pocket.
Once the victim was on the floor, all three co-defendants repeatedly kicked and punched him. When the attack stopped and the defendants left the house, the victim crawled from the kitchen to his pickup truck that was parked in the driveway. He struggled to get into the vehicle and had to stop twice due to the severe pain, but he managed to drive himself to Mercy Hospital in Orchard Park. He was treated for a fractured rib and a bruised spleen.
The threats continued when the victim returned home from the hospital. The women told the victim he was not allowed inside the house during daylight hours, and threatened to “break every bone in his body” if he did so. The victim disclosed to abuse to his friend who contacted police and requested that the officers conduct a welfare check.
The three sisters each face a maximum of 7 years in prison when they are sentenced on Tuesday, July 16, 2019 at 9:30 a.m. The defendants remain released on bail.
“This is one of the most horrific cases of abuse that has been prosecuted by my office. I am outraged by the actions of these women who have emotionally, financially, and physically abused their father for years,” says Flynn. “I commend the victim for having the strength to testify against his abusers who sadly are his own children. I also want to commend the friend who contacted the police after the victim came forward after years of enduring this abuse and also testified against these women.”