Joseph Cilino, a 40-year-old White male from Honesdale, Pennsylvania, was killed on September 2, 2016, in Damascus Township, Wayne County. The shooting unfolded in a remote area near Damascus after his younger brother, Antonio Cilino, saw Joseph riding in a vehicle with Antonio’s former girlfriend, Brooke Swingle, and Antonio’s one-year-old child.
What began as a pursuit turned into a confrontation after Antonio followed the vehicle and the situation came to a stop near a driveway in Damascus Township.
Authorities said Antonio stalked and cornered Joseph, Swingle, and the child. During the confrontation, Joseph was unarmed. Antonio had a handgun and shot Joseph in the chest, killing him. Prosecutors later described Joseph as someone who had tried to help Swingle on the night he died, placing the killing in the context of a volatile domestic-violence situation involving Antonio and Swingle.
The background to the shooting was significant. Less than a month earlier, on August 8, 2016, Swingle had obtained a Protection From Abuse order against Antonio, her former boyfriend. That order barred Antonio from contacting her except for custody exchanges, prohibited him from stalking or following her, and also prohibited him from possessing a firearm. On the day Joseph was killed, prosecutors said Antonio violated multiple parts of that order by having contact with Swingle, following her, and possessing the gun used in the shooting.
After the killing, Antonio fled the scene and hid the murder weapon. He later surrendered to a Hawley Borough police officer. He was arrested and charged in connection with Joseph’s death, with police and prosecutors identifying him as the suspect from the beginning. The case was investigated by Pennsylvania State Police, including the Troop R Major Case Team.
Antonio Cilino went to trial in Wayne County. After a three-day trial, a jury convicted him on January 24, 2018, of third-degree murder, simple assault, and two counts of recklessly endangering another person. The reckless endangerment counts reflected the danger posed not only to Joseph, but also to Brooke Swingle and the young child who were present during the incident. Jurors deliberated for less than three hours before returning the guilty verdict.
On March 1, 2018, Antonio Cilino was sentenced to 197 to 408 months in prison, commonly described as 16 to 34 years, for the murder of his brother and the related offenses. Prosecutors emphasized that the case was rooted in jealousy, control, and domestic violence, and the district attorney said Joseph was killed because he tried to help Swingle. Antonio later challenged the conviction, but in 2022 the Pennsylvania Superior Court upheld his murder conviction and sentence, leaving the jury’s verdict intact.
