New details have emerged about the heartbreaking Long Island murder-suicide that claimed the lives of a mother and daughter, described by those who knew them as “inseparable.” On Sunday, 64-year-old Tina Hammond and her 30-year-old daughter, Victoria, were killed by Tina’s own brother, Joseph DeLucia Jr., in what authorities are calling a tragic culmination of a family dispute.
Tina and Victoria lived together in the South Shore town of East Patchogue, sharing a close bond that was evident to everyone around them. “They were just nice people,” said Marion Powell, their landlord, who was still in shock over the horrific events. “Nobody deserves that.”
Tina, described as a “very bubbly” woman, and Victoria, who was always by her mother’s side, had been living in Powell’s East Patchogue home for about a year and a half. Powell recalled how close the two were, saying, “Victoria would follow her—like, if her mom was doing 100 mph down the driveway and stopped, Victoria would just bump into her ’cause she was always right there.”
The tragedy unfolded on Sunday when Tina and Victoria traveled to Syosset to meet with Tina’s siblings and a realtor to discuss selling their late mother’s house. The property, located on Wyoming Court, was being prepared for sale following the recent death of 95-year-old Theresa DeLucia, Tina’s mother.
What was supposed to be a routine family meeting quickly turned into a nightmare. Joseph DeLucia Jr., a 59-year-old mechanic with a history of mental illness, allegedly couldn’t bear the thought of losing the home he had lived in all his life. In a fit of rage, he opened fire with a shotgun on his three siblings and his niece, killing them in the house’s den. After the bloodbath, he walked outside, screaming incoherently, before turning the weapon on himself.
The other siblings who died in the attack were identified as 69-year-old Joanne Kearns from Tampa, Florida, and 63-year-old Frank DeLucia from Durham, North Carolina. Joanne, a grandmother, had recently celebrated the birth of her granddaughter, Ella Kathleen, in 2019.
The shocking incident has left the community reeling. “It’s a tragedy—just a tragedy,” Powell said, struggling to comprehend how a quiet family gathering could end in such devastation. “It’s horrible. Just something you don’t fathom could happen.”
As friends and family come to terms with the loss, the memory of Tina and Victoria Hammond, who were inseparable in life, will forever be linked to the unimaginable tragedy that claimed their lives.