A New Jersey man killed his wife and son on March 7 before turning the gun on himself, according to police.
A concerned citizen requested a welfare check on a family in Succasunna during a call to the Roxbury Police Department at 10 a.m. on Tuesday. Inside the house were three bodies that had all been shot and were discovered when the police arrived.
The Morris County prosecutor’s office issued a statement that Peter Ventricelli, 57, his wife Kellie Ventricelli, 58, and their son Anthony Ventricelli, 15, had all been discovered dead.
Domestic violence played a role in the murder-suicide, according to the press release issued by the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.
Peter Ventricelli allegedly killed his son and wife before shooting himself. Prosecutors contend that police were never called to the couple’s home in the past, and no motive for the murder-suicide has been established.
At a press conference, Morris County Sheriff James Gannon and Attorney Robert Carroll announced that they had determined that the incident was caused by domestic violence. This “affects all of us,” Gannon said. “We seem to be dealing with a case of domestic violence here.”
A neighbor told reporters that the teenager was a generous and kind person.
According to the neighbors, the wife worked as a preschool teacher and the husband was an independent contractor.
A GoFundMe page was created by family members to raise money for the funeral. The page claims that the demise of the family also means the closure of the family business. It was mentioned that a portion of the funds raised would be used to support the grandparents’ continued occupancy of their own home. The campaign has helped to raise more than $57,000.
According to financial technology company SmartAsset, Morris County is the second wealthiest county in the state.
The case is still under investigation.