In the quiet town of Wallkill, New York, a devastating tragedy unfolded that claimed the life of 8-year-old James Casullo. On the evening of Thursday, May 26, 2016, the young boy and his 12-year-old sister, Kathleen, were found deceased in their home on Fifth Avenue. The male child and his sister had been fatally shot as they slept in their beds.
The heartbreaking discovery was made by their mother when she returned home from work.
Neighbors recalled hearing her screams after she managed to get inside the family's residence at the Valley View Mobile Home Park. Responding to a 911 call, members of the State Police and the Wallkill Police Department arrived to find a horrific scene.
An investigation by law enforcement revealed the incident to be a murder-suicide. The perpetrator was the children's own father, John Casullo, a 48-year-old retired Town of Newburgh police officer. Authorities determined that he used a. 45 caliber pistol to kill his son and daughter before turning the weapon on himself. John Casullo was also found deceased at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Neighbors described the family as private, often keeping to themselves. The father had been a stay-at-home dad after retiring from the police force on an undisclosed disability in early 2008. The shocking event left the community in mourning over the senseless loss of two young lives. Since the sole suspect in the double murder was the father who took his own life, there were no arrests or subsequent trial.
