Brighton murder-suicide: Lawrence Mancuso, Rochester, Upstate NY dad shoots dead 11 year old daughter, Anne Mancuso, her grandmother, Mary Liccini then self following custody dispute between himself and daughter’s mother, Sarah Liccini.
An Upstate N.Y man is believed to have shot dead his 11 year old daughter, the girl’s grandmother, before then shooting himself dead last week.
Anne Mancuso, 11, was found unresponsive and suffering from gun shot wounds on the front porch of her neighbor’s house on Hollyvale Drive in Brighton on Friday.
Despite the girl being transported to nearby Strong Memorial Hospital, the 11 year old girl mortally succumbed to her injuries, Brighton Police said according to a release.
Dad called police one day before amid custody dispute between himself and 11 year old daughter’s mother
Investigators found a bullet hole in a window and open doors at Anne’s mother’s house next door, with officials responding to the scene just before noon, Friday.
Inside, police discovered the bodies of Anne’s grandmother, 74-year-old Mary Liccini, and her father, 53-year-old Lawrence Mancuso, who they believe killed them in a murder-suicide.
‘The investigation concluded that Lawrence Mancuso was responsible for the deaths of Anne and Mary before taking his own life,’ Brighton Police said.
Liccini was Anne’s maternal grandmother, according to a GoFundMe page set up for the family.
Anne’s mother, Sarah Liccini, was reportedly out of town when the tragedy occurred.
‘Sarah Liccini faced the unimaginable. Her beloved 11 year old daughter, Anne (Annie), and her mother, Mary Liccini, were tragically taken in an act of domestic violence,’ the fundraiser page said.
The tragedy comes just one day after Mancuso called the police to the same house before the killings in relation to a custodial dispute between himself and the 11 year old girl’s mother, according to WHEC.
Why had Lawrence Mancuso been placed on leave?
Mancuso and Anne’s mother were divorced for some time, with Mancuso living on Eastbrook Lane, Rochester at the time of this incident.
Brighton Police Chief David Catholdi said Mancuso had questions about custody and ‘didn’t like the idea that Anne was staying with the grandma. He didn’t believe that was in the custody agreement.’
The Brighton Police Chief characterized the interaction with his officers as ‘routine’.
Leading up to the Friday’s shooting, Brighton Police Chief Catholdi said Mancuso bought alcohol at a store at 9 a.m. before stealing firearms from a relative’s home in Greece and then heading to Hollyvale Drive and unleashing his venom.
A total of four guns were recovered, one was recovered inside the neighbor’s home and the other three in a vehicle, the chief told News 8.
Lawrence Mancuso was the assistant dean for human resources at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, but had been on leave since October. The university declined to provide further details.
At Lawrence Mancuso’s townhouse, his downstairs neighbor, Fred Simpson said he never heard anything out of the ordinary. No arguing, screaming, yelling, nothing to indicate a problem.
Anne was a sixth-grader at Twelve Corners Middle School and described as a ‘good kid with a big heart,’ WHAM13 reported citing school officials.
‘Annie was known to her friends and teachers as a kind, sweet, and beautiful person in every way,’ Brighton Central School District Superintendent Kevin McGowan said.
‘A thoughtful, caring student and very special friend, Annie was such a gift to her friends, family, and school community.’
Counselors are being made available to students and staff in the school district.
Neighbors are also continuing to show love and support by lighting candles for 11 nights.
Authorities continue to investigate.
