STATEN ISLAND — A woman pleaded guilty to beating her 80-year-old husband with a crowbar before setting a fire in the garage of their Thompkinsville home, prosecutors said.
Antoinetta Baldassarre, 69, faces up to 15 years in prison for the 2014 murder of her husband of 46 years, Frank Baldassarre.
"This defendant has pled guilty and will be held accountable for the violent and brutal crime she committed," District Attorney Michael McMahon said in a statement.
"We hope that this disposition can give some peace and closure to the victim’s remaining family."
Relatives remembered Frank Baldassarre, a native of Naples, as a "big teddy bear" in his obituary but his wife testified in court that he abused her, according to her lawyer, Mario Gallucci.
"Throughout her marriage she was both physically and mentally abused," Gallucci said Tuesday. "On that one particular day she suffered a physical abuse again and had enough."
"The DA took into consideration her claims and as a result of that they were willing to remove the life sentence," Gallucci added.
On Oct. 7, 2014, Antoinetta Baldassarre hit her husband in the head and body multiple times with a crowbar inside their 405 Victory Blvd. home, prosecutors said. She then went into the detached garage of the home and set fire to a vehicle inside.
Officials responded to the fire around noon and firefighters found Frank Baldassarre dead in a first-floor bathtub, police said.
Antoinetta Baldassarre was taken to Richmond University Medical Center in stable condition for smoke inhalation and was arrested, police said.
Aside from prison time, Antoinetta Baldassarre's plea also includes five years of probation, McMahon said. She's scheduled to be sentenced May 30.
