SINCLAIRVILLE, NY (WKBW) — A grieving mother in Chautauqua County’s village of Sinclairville awaits the arrest of a suspect who murdered her 18-year-old son. He was shot dead in July.
“Just the realization — I can't wrap my head around — I’m never going to see him again,” reflected Lisa Misciagno.
With the raw pain of a mother's grief, Misciagno's son Joseph Misciagno was shot dead in an area along long Reed Street in Sinclairville in July.
She says her son met up with his long-time friend Dommy and they got into a dispute over her son's belongings. That's when someone else decided to shoot her son in the back — a killer she considers a coward.
“He’s a scared little boy and I feel sorry for him. He’s going to have to live with this the rest of his life — and I mean that rest of your life you're going to have to live with that,” Misciagno said.
“We do believe it was specifically a targeted situation. I don't know that that was the plan that they planned it ahead of time, but the individuals all knew each other and were with each other,” explained Chautauqua County Sheriff James Quattrone.
Misciagno’s mother says there was a slow response time by emergency crews and they didn't realize her son had been shot and instead listened to a bystander who said he was having a drug overdose.
“I do want everybody to know he did not die of an overdose —there's a lot of rumors out there that went on — he did not. There was nothing in his system except for THC,” Misciagno noted.
“The individual was unresponsive, so there was no obvious signs at the time that there was a gunshot — they did operate under the premise that there was an overdose and used the Narcan,” described Sheriff Quarttone.
Sheriff Quarttone says discovery laws have slowed down efforts in making sure they have all the evidence to prosecute.
“We understand their frustrations — we join them with the frustration with the laws that are out there, but we have to abide by them and we want to make sure our case is as solid as can be before we move forward,” replied Sheriff Quarttone.
The sheriff tells me he expects a resolution in this case shortly.
“So very close to an arrest?” Buckley asked. “We're expecting a resolution relatively soon —hopefully within the month,” responded Sheriff Quarttone.
Misciagno reflected on the last time she saw her son alive. She said she had complained to him about doing dishes after he cooked and told him he would do them when he returned home.
“He never came back,” recalled Misciagno.
Mischiano says her son was someone you knew was in a room. She says he was very helpful with her younger daughters and grandson who she cares for.
She says the day he was shot he had just completed an application to attend a culinary school because he enjoyed cooking.
A grieving mother in Sinclairville awaits the arrest of a suspect who murdered her 18-year-old Joseph Moisciagno. He was shot dead in July on Reed Street. The Chautauqua County Sheriff tells @WKBW investigators are close to resolving the case. pic.twitter.com/xTTfT3smwc
— Eileen Buckley (@eileenwkbw) August 30, 2022
“I just want people to just realize life is so precious and that it's so easy to pull a trigger and try to act out what you see in the movies — and in the songs — you're not being a man doing that,” stated Misciagno. “Just value life and the people and just please just stop with the guns. Still so surreal — it's just sad — it's crazy — it's a life — he had all of his life to live and just taken — shot in the back.”
