Murrysville man gets probation, house arrest in estranged wife's 2017 death

Elizabeth Arrington’s memories of Feb. 6, 2017, constantly replay in her mind.

Arrington had been trying to get in touch with her daughter but got no answer. Finally, she called her estranged son-in-law to come to her daughter’s Penn Hills home to let her in. Once he got there, he pushed the door open so Arrington could go in first.

Arrington found her oldest daughter’s body on the bedroom floor.

“I sat there, trying to wake her up, she was so very cold, she was covered in bruises,” Arrington told the court on Wednesday. “I shook her, I screamed, ‘Please wake up, please God help me.’”

She asked her son-in-law, Antonio Vecchiola, to call 911. A dispatcher told him to start CPR.

“After about 30 seconds, you got on your knees, you pumped your hands on her chest three times, you bent over to give her your breath, and you gagged, got up and walked out of the room,” Arrington told Vecchiola. “You knew she was dead.”

Police believe that Antonio Vecchiola of Murrysville killed Jessica Vecchiola, 29, the day before, leaving her body in the home to be found the next day by her mother. The Vecchiolas had been in a divorce and custody fight.

On Wednesday, Antonio Vecchiola, 36, pleaded guilty to a single count of involuntary manslaughter.

The plea agreement between the defense and prosecution called for no incarceration — a decision that Arrington and other family members said was unacceptable given the circumstances.

“Abused and murdered women deserve better,” Felicia Lucot, the victim’s sister, said in a victim impact statement.

Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Kelly Bigley ordered Antonio Vecchiola to serve five years’ probation — with the first year on electronic home monitoring.

A spokesman for the district attorney’s office said they were limited in the plea that they could reach.

“We certainly sympathize with the loss that the family and friends continue to feel,” spokesman Mike Manko said. “The decision to proceed to disposition in the manner reflected in today’s hearing was made in consultation with Ms. Arrington and in light of the fact that proceeding to trial would have presented significant evidentiary challenges.”

Vecchiola’s family testified Wednesday that Vecchiola was controlling and abusive toward his wife. People described her as a kind, free spirit and a good mother to her two boys.

“She wanted a fresh start and to move on with her life, but Tony wasn’t going to let that happen,” said Kelly Johnston, who considered herself to be the victim’s sister-in-law.

She said the plea agreement seemed “like a huge injustice.”

Court records show that the couple had sought Protection From Abuse orders against each other. In one PFA filing, the victim said her husband threatened to kill her.

A criminal complaint filed in the case said that in the week before Jessica Vecchiola was killed, two unknown women attacked her in a road rage incident — telling Vecchiola they would kill her if she didn’t leave “Tony” alone. The complaint said the women caused severe enough injury to Vecchiola that she required treatment at UPMC East in Monroeville and a neck brace.

Arrington told Bigley during Wednesday’s hearing that she told police the day her daughter’s body was found that she believed her son-in-law was responsible for her daughter’s death. Still, it took until January 2019 for the death to be ruled a homicide and another five months before charges were filed.

According to the medical examiner’s office, Jessica Vecchiola died from what is known as an internal decapitation, when the skull is disconnected from the spinal column. However, neither the criminal complaint nor the prosecution have explained how the injury occurred.

In addressing the court Wednesday, Vecchiola did not say either. Instead, he spoke only briefly.

“I loved Jessica. I definitely miss her. I’m affected by this just as much as everyone else is,” he said. “I’m really sorry for everyone’s pain and suffering.”