In a quiet Levittown, New York, home on a summer evening, a domestic dispute escalated into a tragedy that claimed the life of 61-year-old Cheryl Gusz Dinapoli. On August 13, 2020, an argument between Cheryl and her husband, Thomas Dinapoli, then 67, in their Cord Lane residence turned violent. The altercation culminated in Thomas shooting his wife multiple times with a 9mm rifle, striking her in the eye and neck.
Cheryl's younger brother, who was also living in the home, heard the
commotion and rushed to the bedroom. He bravely confronted his brother-in-law, wrestling the rifle away from him. However, the violence did not end there. Thomas Dinapoli then went to a safe in the garage, retrieved a second firearm—a shotgun—and shot his brother-in-law, who was behind a door, in the arm. The struggle between the two men continued onto the front lawn of the property, where Cheryl's brother managed to disarm Dinapoli once more.
When Nassau County police officers arrived at the scene following a report of a disturbance, they found Cheryl Dinapoli deceased inside the home. Her husband, Thomas, was also at the residence, injured with multiple gunshot wounds, and was taken to a local hospital for treatment before being arrested. He was subsequently charged with second-degree murder for the death of his wife and attempted murder for the shooting of his brother-in-law.
In June 2023, a jury convicted Thomas Dinapoli on charges of Murder in the Second Degree, Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, and Assault in the First Degree. The trial, which began on June 16, concluded with a swift deliberation by the jury, lasting only about an hour. In August 2023, Thomas Dinapoli, then 70, was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison for the murder of his wife and the attempted murder of his brother-in-law, bringing a legal conclusion to the brutal crime that shattered a family.
