TOWN OF TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WKBW) — Town of Tonawanda police have now identified the mother who was shot to death inside her home Tuesday morning as 31-year-old Danielle Cretacci.
During a news conference Tuesday afternoon, police revealed that her two children were also shot, they are expected to survive.
Longtime friend, Jeanette Taskarella said she believes Cretacci was targeted for her belongs. "She had a lot of gold, and a lot of diamonds. I mean piles of gold this girl collected. And, I told her not to flash it. It's a dangerous world."
Officers arrived at the home on Ebling Avenue around 2:00 a.m.
According to investigators, Cretacci lived in the home with her two children and the home's owner. The homeowner has since been identified John Guercio.
His attorney released a statement Wednesday afternoon reading in part, “I know some news outlets have stated that this may have been an incident of domestic violence. I want to make sure that John is not included in that narrative. He was a friend of Danielle, and that is all. If this incident has its roots in domestic violence, then the perpetrator is not John Guercio. My belief is that John is no longer considered a suspect and that Tonawanda Police have moved forward with investigating other suspects/persons of interest. We pray that detectives quickly arrest Danielle’s murderer and the criminal who shot her children. This monster deserves to get punished to the maximum extent permitted under the law.”
Although no one is currently in custody, police are stressing the public is not in danger.
Anyone with information is asked to call the department's Confidential Tipline at 716-879-6606
