'We may never know the why': Father stole handguns before Brighton murdersuicide
Jan 07, 2025
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Brighton police revealed more information Tuesday about the circumstances leading up to a murder-suicide involving an 11-year-old girl.
On Friday, police said three people died from gunshot wounds at a home on Hollyvale Drive. They were identified as 53-year-old Lawrence Mancuso, his daughter Anne Mancuso, and Mary Liccini. Liccini was Anne's grandmother on her mother's side.
Brighton Police Chief David Catholdi told News 8 the investigation has revealed the timeline of Lawrence Mancuso's actions last Friday. 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.
Investigators determined Mancuso shot his daughter and Liccini before shooting himself. Both Lawrence and Liccini were found dead at the scene. Anne was found unresponsive at a neighbor's home and taken to a hospital where she died from her injuries. All of the stolen weapons were recovered.
All four handguns were recovered — one inside the home and the other three in a vehicle.
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Catholdi confirmed Brighton Police were at the Hollyvale Drive home the day prior to the incident for a custodial issue. Mancuso and Anne's mother were divorced for some time, with Mancuso living on Eastbrook Lane at the time of this incident.
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." But the Brighton Chief characterized the interaction with his officers as "routine".
Prior to this, Mancuso worked at Cornell University as the Assistant Dean for Human Resources in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He took a leave of absence in October. The reason is unknown.
Brighton Police Chief David Catholdi explained there is one part of the investigation that will never be discovered — why it happened.
"You're not going to know the 'why,' we know for a fact he was on leave from Cornell. The why? We will never know because we can't talk to him," said Chief David Catholdi.
When asked whether the situation could have been prevented or not, Chief Catholdi was unsure.
"I don't know, as I was sitting here I don't know," he said, adding "Once your mind is set, once that evil is in you and it's set and you're going to do violence, it's very hard to break that cycle and to interrupt that."
Following this tragedy, the Brighton community came together to honor Anne by placing flowers and luminaries that lined the streets. Anne was a sixth-grader for the Brighton Central School District. The district said in part: "I don’t know how or why this happens and I don’t know what to say, other than we’re here for you and we will continue to be here with love, support, and sympathy for all, especially for Annie’s family and friends.”
The investigation into the incident remains ongoing at this time.