Agata Filipska Vellotti, a 43-year-old woman from Raleigh, North Carolina, tragically lost her life on August 30, 2012. Agata, originally from a small farm town outside of Krakow, Poland, had moved to the United States in 2007 after marrying Mario Vellotti in 2005. She was an artist by training and had a 6-year-old son at the time of her death.
On the morning of August 30, 2012, Agata was shot and killed by her estranged husband, Mario Vellotti, outside her apartment building in a
townhome community in Wakefield, near North Forest Pines Elementary School. The couple had been separated and were embroiled in a custody dispute over their son. Earlier that summer, a Wake County judge had issued a domestic violence protection order against Mario Vellotti.
Mario Vellotti, 64 years old at the time, called 911 and confessed to shooting his wife. He had also contacted an attorney's office before calling 911, and a secretary from the office reported the incident to the authorities. Mario later surrendered to the Raleigh Police Department and was taken into custody. He was subsequently indicted on a first-degree murder charge by a Wake County grand jury.
Agata's death left her family devastated. Her parents and brother, who are retired teachers, traveled to the United States to seek custody of her son and to take her remains back to Poland. A fund was established to help with the expenses related to her funeral and the custody battle.
Mario Vellotti remains in jail, charged with the murder of Agata Filipska Vellotti. The case highlights the tragic consequences of domestic violence and the ongoing struggles faced by families affected by such incidents.
