A 76-year-old Cortlandt Manor man was arraigned Thursday (Sept. 19) on an indictment charging him with assault and attempted murder in connection with the shooting of his 74-year-old wife, according to Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore.
Mario Vallorosi is accused of shooting his wife—at close range, with a shotgun—at their 10 Udell Court home around 4 a.m. June 15. The couple was reportedly arguing the night before.
Their 48-year-old son was in the house at the time. When he heard a noise and looked around to see what it was, he found his mother lying on a sofa in the upstairs computer room. He dialed 911 and troopers responded to the residence, where they forcefully entered and secured the residence. They took Vallorosi into custody.
The victim was transported to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla with gunshot wounds to the abdomen and chest.
"She remained in the hospital for 45 days and continues to be in serious condition at a nursing facility," reads a statement released by DiFiore's office Thursday (Sept. 19).
At the time Vallorosi was charged with first-degree assault and remanded to the Westchester County Jail on $250,000 bail. Thursday's indictment charges him with two counts of first-degree assault and one count of second-degree attempted murder, all felonies.
Vallorosi's remand status continues. He is due back in court Dec. 5, and he is facing a maximum sentence of 25 years in state prison.
Assistant District Attorney Barbara Egenhauser, chief of the Domestic Violence Bureau, and Assistant District Attorney Joseph Barca III of the Special Prosecutions Division are prosecuting the case."After more than a half century of marriage the only way that this defendant could communicate with his wife was through violence," DiFiore said. "She had been a vibrant member of her community who enjoyed socializing and working with special needs school children, both of which seemed to be the catalyst for the defendant’s actions."
Editor's note: The headline in this post has been changed to reflect the charges the defendant is facing.
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