A Queens father suspected in the grisly killing of his wife before taking his own life had a family history marked by violence — including a younger brother who fatally shot their father about six years ago, The Post has learned.
Joseph Azzaretto, 33, was discovered hanging from a tree in Astoria Park early Tuesday, just hours after he allegedly stabbed 34-year-old Mary Kate Golding to death inside their nearby home, police and sources said.
The suspected murder-suicide, which remains under investigation, unfolded six years after Azzaretto’s younger brother, Nicholas Azzaretto, was accused of killing another member of the family.
In February 2020, during a heated dispute at the family’s home in Monroe County, Pa., then-20-year-old Nicholas Azzaretto grabbed a shotgun and shot his father, Frank Azzaretto, in the chest, killing him.
Nicholas Azzaretto was charged with third-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter, though details that emerged soon after suggested the shooting was not a cold-blooded act.
At a dramatic court hearing later that month, testimony and records pointed to a history of abusive behavior by Frank Azzaretto, the Pocono Record reported.
The 58-year-old family patriarch had allegedly returned home on Feb. 13, 2020, from his movie production job in The Bronx when he erupted at his wife over a phone bill, according to the report.
He then paced through the house in a rage, threw plants and pictures, and threatened to punch his wife, the report said.
“You’re playing f–king games again,” he thundered at his wife, according to the report.
Nicholas Azzaretto allegedly emerged from his basement bedroom amid the chaos, asking “What’s he screaming about?”
“I really don’t know,” his mother said she told him, according to the report.
The young man later returned from his bedroom with a 12-gauge shotgun, leading to the fatal shooting, the Pocono Record reported.
Court records show that Nicholas Azzaretto eventually pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in November 2021.
He received 10 years of probation, of which two years would be under electronic monitoring, the records show.
His older brother Joseph Azzaretto and Golding had moved to Astoria from Pennsylvania about two months ago, neighbors said.
Azzaretto, among other disturbing alleged incidents during his short time in Queens, had once physically fought repo men over his car, a nearby worker told The Post.
“He was mentally disturbed. We knew that since he got here,” the worker said Tuesday.
Golding studied at NYU and was working as an assistant set decorator for shows like the “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and “Goosebumps” at the time of her death, according to her IMDB page and other online profiles.
Azzaretto also worked in the film industry, a neighbor, who requested anonymity, said.
A Golding family member declined to comment.
— Additional reporting by Jordan Donegan
