Friday, September 28, 2012

Masked Intruder Shot Dead By Father


Connecticut man shoots son dead after mistaking him for an intruder

Jeffrey Giuliano fired at his son Tyler at 1 a.m. in the tony town of New Fairfield as the teen was apparently trying to break into the home of a relative next door to his dad’s.
The elder Giuliano allegedly pulled the trigger as the boy — wearing a ski mask — came at him with what appeared to be a shiny object, sources said.
After the shooting, the elder Giuliano sat at the curbside and waited for cops, unaware of the slain intruder’s identity, a police source said.
Tyler Giuliano
Tyler Giuliano
TRAGEDY: Tyler Giuliano, 15, was wearing a ski mask and carrying a shiny object when his dad, Jeffrey, believing the boy was an intruder, shot him at their Connecticut home, cops say.
Douglas Healey
TRAGEDY: Tyler Giuliano, 15, was wearing a ski mask and carrying a shiny object when his dad, Jeffrey, believing the boy was an intruder, shot him at their Connecticut home, cops say.
Jeffrey
Jeffrey
“The shooter did not know who the deceased was until we informed him,” Lt. J. Paul Vance, a State Police spokesman, told The Post.
A source said the father was in “utter shock.”
The tragedy unfolded when Giuliano got a frantic call from his sister, Alexis Scocozza. She told him she thought someone was trying to burglarize her home, police said.
Giuliano — a beloved fifth-grade schoolteacher known as “Mr G.” — grabbed a handgun and went to investigate, police said.
That’s when he encountered the intruder, who had a shiny object in his hand and lunged toward him, cops said.
Giuliano fired repeatedly, hitting the intruder, who was pronounced dead at the scene on Meetinghouse Circle Road, cops said.
Cops then told Giuliano, 44, the terrible news.
“All in all, it’s a tragedy,” Vance told The Associated Press.
The dad hasn’t been charged, but the investigation is ongoing.
Giuliano adopted Tyler — who had wanted to join the Air Force — when he was his fifth-grade teacher and after Tyler’s grandmother was no longer able to take care of him.
“He just cared so much. Tyler was such a great boy he couldn’t just leave him,” one of Tyler’s pals said.
The friend, who knew Tyler since the third grade, said no one at New Fairfield HS could make sense of the tragedy or figure out why he might have been breaking into his aunt’s home.
“We didn’t understand why Tyler was out. It’s just weird,” the friend said. “He wasn’t a delinquent or anything. He was always happy and outgoing.
“This just makes no sense at all.”
Tyler played soccer and was one of a only few students in a Civil Air Patrol class at his school.
“He loved flying,” said his friend.
“In class, you get to fly a plane with an instructor at Danbury Airport. It’s a really hard course.”

24 comments:

Light the Way said...

Wow. That's horrible..
D:
I cannot imagine what this father must be going through right now.

On a somewhat unrelated note, I think its weird for a teacher to adopt his student.
There isn't necessarily anything 'wrong' with it... but it did instantly send up some red flags for me.
Maybe I'm too cynical, though, after following the Sandusky trial/freakshow.

Anonymous said...

Aww, handsome little boy to.
:(

Light the Way said...

I wonder what he was doing (or planning to do) breaking into his aunt's *occupied dwelling* wearing a ski mask?? Surely he would've known whether she was home, considering she lived right next door, and she is family...

The ski mask suggests to me he wanted to avoid being recognized. This is very disturbing story on many levels!

sidewalk super said...

Way more to the teen's back story than newspapers are telling us.
Will there be a drug screen, autopsy?
This illustrates, to me anyway, one of the dangers of adoption.
There might be variances in the gene contribution that the new parents should/might have been warned about. Although, certainly, not all variances lead to this kind of end.
My thought.

MissUnderstood said...

Light the Way 7:38, I had the same cynical thought. I felt sort of guilty for thinking that and tried to put the thought out of my mind - I'm glad you brought it up, so I know I'm not the only one that info jumped out at. I have to and will assume the adoption was out of kindness, but that nagging thought is in the back of my mind. Something else I feel guilty for thinking, he was adopted roughly 5 years earlier, did he really consider the woman, whos home he was attempting to break into, his aunt?

What happened IS a tragedy. Idk what the teen was doing or planning to do? I'm sure if his father knew it was him, he would not have shot him.

JoJo said...

Sidewalk, NBC Chicago reports an autopsy is planned.

Vita said...

Saw this last night, this is beyond tragic. Another article says, the woman who lives next door who called the Dad for help is his sister. This then was Tyler's Aunt's house, he was attempting to gain entry. There is local press, video linked below. Tyler did have a gun. The reporter says " small gun" a gun is a gun, small or not. Wondering if there had been other break-in's in the neighborhood recently. Or this was the first time the father was ever in a confrontation like this before, which is not an everyday occurrence. Fear and adrenaline take over, his son to react first, he did not recognize his own father or he did?. How a 15 yr old would take it upon himself, to attempt to gain or gain entry into another persons home at 1AM, head to toe in black, masked is beyond me. Obviously it was planned out, his clothing and he was packing. He needed the gun as he entered his Aunt's house? To scare his Aunt to death, or worse shoot her. Had he gotten away with it, rings here, as he had no conscience in his thoughts but his act was a conscience effort. Possibly she was not supposed to be at home. He thought the house was empty. Had his Aunt or Father been shot by accident and Tyler to flee would Tyler fess up? He doesn't have a voice now. His father to live with this for the rest of his life.

Video Report, The Vid at the bottom, stunned by a shooting, reporter Tyler was carrying a gun, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/28/jeffrey-giuliano-tyler-shoots-son-_n_1922234.html

Jo said...

OT - but got an update in FB from the David Hartley page.

http://www.bringdavidhome.com/

I also had come to the conclusion that my life is bigger than my moments and that my identity is not in David’s death nor Sept 30th, yes it has formed part of my identity and the person that I am today and who I am becoming, but it is not who I am. My identity is in who God says I am not who the world says I am. Yes, I have gone through the most horrible thing anyone could imagine, and I am still going through a lot of the pain and grief but I also know that I can not stay in my grief. Staying in a place where I don’t allow myself to heal doesn’t do me or anyone else any good. I remind myself all the time that David is happy and he is at peace and in reality he got the better end of the deal. So I feel I grieve more for myself and not for David. God’s word says he heals the brokenhearted but he can only do that if we allow him access to our heart and to our pain. My only hope is that through my life and overcoming the pain I feel inside that God will use me to touch other women and men who have maybe gone through or are going thru a tragic experience. To encourage them and help them see that God is with them, he loves them, and that he did not make what they are experiencing happen to them, but he will be there to help them through it.

She is as self centered as ever.

On Aug 3rd I finally took my jet ski that I was riding the day David was killed to a friends lake to see if I was going to keep it or sell it. I didn’t want to make that decision until I got it out on the lake to see how I would feel about it and take another step toward my healing from that day. I also didn’t want to put a lot of pressure on myself of how I would react once i got on the jet ski, the only thing I kept my focus on leading up to going to the lake and while I was on the lake was David and I had more happy and joyful days on our jet ski vs our one horrible day.

Why does she state the obvious - the jet ski she was riding? We all know the other jet ski was never found but why is it in her language to remind us that she was on a different jet ski. Why would there be pressure on "how she would react"?

Interesting reading. She is another who probably should learn to just keep her mouth shut.

Vita said...

Jo, she is sick. Sounds as if she in her own built prison (guilt) found God. As many convicts do once they are behind bars. He show's up, God, becomes their 3rd person voice, when one exchanges an obsession or addiction for their own personal needs/gains. The person then becomes a walking talking spewing, as her own words are written...this allows them to rise, and promote to others, how Holy they have become. False sense of protection. Deep psychology here.

Her post on Restored Joy, she wrote: http://www.bringdavidhome.com/2012/07/15/restored-joy/

She not only went out on the water, tubing yadda, thinking of David, ahem, she went Sky diving. Maybe she is trying to get in all her excitement, her bucket list, in the back of her mind, she one day will be arrested. She isn't a rocket scientist this is for sure. Her self pity is glaring as is her words of the murdered David Hartley, David who? His marriage to her defined the end of his life now didn't it, in moments on 'his' jet ski, never recovered.

equinox said...

"after mistaking him for an intruder" - would appear to be media spin, since it would seem the tragic fellow was genuinely an intruder. There's no mistaking a male, wearing a ski mask, armed with a gun trying to gain access to a locked house. That's an intruder. Son or not. The story is just as tragic and newsworthy if reported honestly, "Father unknowingly shoots his own son during break and enter attempt"

BostonLady said...

This is a very strange story and I'm sure much more information will be released as they get it. But, reading this article my cynical jaded side came out. Why would the son have a ski mask on unless he was planning on doing something he had to hide. A gun in his hand? Did the Aunt's home have something valuable he wanted/needed? Did the adoptive dad have an agenda? Could this be a set up?

Lots of unanswered questions that I hope will not remain so.

Lis said...

The headline is misleading. The boy was an intruder, he wasn't just mistaken for one, this was not even in his own home. The boy was wearing a ski mask and lunged at the father when confronted. He should have pulled off the mask and confessed.

When I read the headline I pictured the boy had snuck out at night and was sneaking back into his home, maybe, and was mistaken for an intruder breaking in.

Adopted. I wonder if Tyler had attachment disorder. I wonder if we will hear this wasn't his first strange behavior.

Lis said...

OT: TSA employee caught red-handed stealing an ipad, first lies, then blames his wife:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7F1bllhh_8

Vita said...

I agree EQ. Had his son been walking the yard, dressed in dark clothing, coming towards him, his father would have reacted much differently, as in Where you been?, it's late..come inside.

This isn't what happened, what happened, was He/Dad was awoken by his Sister ,phone, someone is breaking into my house! He reacted as anyone would, brother or not. His thought was to protect his sister, the woman alone next door, and then he to see the perp, the perp to react towards him first, in threatening stance, he fired his gun. This to happen in seconds I am sure.

I have twice been victim of home invasion, personal invasion, me at home both times. The first time I was asleep, a perp broke into my apartment, I was his want, not my TV or etc, as the perp exited, I called 911. He has never been arrested.

2nd time, I was awake, 1AM and I called 911, while a perp was attempting entry, the perp arrested within walking distance of my house, within minutes by LE. His car parked a block over. He so intoxicated he could not run or hide. Funny how this works, he was never charged with anything. Only charge was drunk driving. He to terrorize me, as he kicked my window in, snorting like an animal, no charges brought up onto him, the Pros Atty said she could not prove he had INTENT to enter my house. No way to prove his intent was to cause me bodily harm, nope. Hmmph.
What else does a intoxicated male, unknown to you, want at 1AM on a Sunday night, who has kicked your window in, then begins screaming obscenities at you verbally through the window he kicked in want? he wanted what? to play nice? Had I had a gun, had I shot him? with the non charges brought up against him, where the hell would I be today? in prison?

The Aunt to be truly the victim in this situation, if you have ever been awoken, in the sanctity of your own house, that someone is breaking in, even worse, the Perp is IN and is psychically touching you, it is beyond terror. The first perp, me knowing to date, he has never been arrested for my case. That I was told, after the fact, I was within a number of women that were assaulted in my area. LE do not tell us this, not until after you become a victim. I moved 50 miles away for it to happen again, what does this tell us, no where is safe.

Had I owned a gun during 1st invasion, had I shot and killed him, it would have saved me years of torment. My most important to know, at least he would never do this again to another woman. It's easy to say, for others to say, had you had a gun, you would have, could have, NO. This event as it unfolded I was completely rendered frozen, I do not believe had I had a gun, I would have been able to use it. He would more than likely been able to take it from me, and use it on me, had he wished. When your awoken out of a dead sleep, to a masked man, his face in yours, he touching you, you really do not have many fundamentals about you. Especially when your 10 yr old is asleep a room away, and you do not know if the Perp is alone, or more than ONE has entered your dwelling. It's brain shattering.

This young man, Tyler, whatever was going through his head, we will never know. Had he gotten away with it, and escalated in his years, we do not know this either. Simple is if you play, do such an act of breaking into a house, the risk is there. You may pay with your life. He Tyler willed this risk, as he dressed, wearing a ski-mask and packed a gun for his plotted break in. I have more sympathy for the father, than I do for Tyler. I have no sympathy for people who commit such acts.

Anonymous said...

I saw it last night on TV too! I was watching him, and wished Peter was right there next to me to explain how this man was able to respond "No, sir", when asked if he took the ipad. I know that any words you say after "no" is weakening it, but heck it sounded like a good lie, then he went on to say that his wife took the pad. Wow! Lieing by commission!

skip said...

Vita, my heart goes out to you, love. You being a survivor and a seemingly fearless one at that is inspiring.

Statement Analysis Blog said...

Yes or No questions are the easiest to lie to.

Statement Analysis Blog said...

Any more question as to Tiffany being a narcissist?

David's family must be incensed.

Pak31 said...

I second everything you all have said here, I'll just be interested if we get any more answers from the investigation/autopsy. There just isn't something right about this whole thing. If he was such great kid, then why did he do what he attempted to do? Where did he get the gun? Was it loaded? Did the dad say anything to the boy when prior to shooting him? I have so many other questions. It's horrible that after the father shot him he sat in the yard with the boy laying on the driveway until police arrived. He didn't know it was his son until police pulled off the mask. At least that is what I read. It's awful and I have read in other blogs that people feel the dad was trigger happy but this boy put himself in a dangerous situation. If he was an innocent kid, why didn't he run or say something? Why would you lunge at someone? Then on the subject of Tiffany Hartley, she's been odd to me since day one. She is so dramatic in her stories, her interviews. It really is all about her.

Yukari said...

This story leaves open so many questions, hints at so much more tragedy than that one fatal shot. So the teacher adopted Tyler five years ago, when he was ten and his grandmother was no longer able to look after him. That means his biological parents were either dead or had given up on this child, back then already. If the intention had merely been to allow Tyler to stay in the environment where he had grown up, the teacher could have been appointed foster parent, without the need for the biological parents to give the boy up. But - it seems - they did not want him. Even though it looks as if the teacher has provided a loving, stable home for Tyler, it may be that the boy had already had experiences in his past that have left their mark on him, maybe something festering under the surface.

And yes, I agree that Tyler was not mistaken for an intruder - that is just what he was, dressed in black, masked and armed. If that was all just a prank gone wrong, why lunge at the father rather than revealing himself? My heart goes out to the dad and aunt.

Vita - how awful that you had to go through this, but glad to read that you have survived stronger. Still sending you lots of virtual hugs.

Apple said...

Vita,
I am sorry for all you have endured.

Pak31 said...

I read today that it was not a gun in the son's hand, it was a knife. So some reports were incorrect. Still though, and I agree with Yukari, more needs to be known about his whole family situation. I mean, as he has been described as a great kid(which many people say that about people)why was he doing what he was doing? Was he on drugs, was he sleepwalking, was he secretly a thief that no one close to him had any clue about? There has to be a reason for this, I highly doubt he just decided to do this for the first time at the spur of the moment. So bizarre.

Foolsfeedonfolly said...

There are a few problems with a sleepwalking scenario. Unless Tyler went to bed all dressed in black, with shoes on, and a gun/knife in his hand, sleepwalking is out. Sleepwalkers don't generally put on a complete change of clothes, shoes included. Nor do they arm themselves. They also tend to be slightly slower in action-reaction, from what I understand.

Like others here, I'm thinking Tyler did not have the same emotional attachment to his "aunt" that a nephew generally does. She may have viewed him as a nephew, however, that's not how he necessarily perceived her. He would have been aware of any valuables she likely had, if that was his sole motivation. However, if indeed there were no previous indications whatsoever and no evidence found of deviancy, drug abuse or mental disorder come to mind. Sexual deviancy would likely be readily apparent(pending investigation of his computer, online social contacts/activities, personal writings and effects, etc.). Mental illness may be harder to determine, thinking sociopath or psychopath. He could have had a game face (so to speak), masking his true nature. That Tyler pre-meditated the attack by assembling head-to-toe black attire (including ski mask) for camouflage, picking up the gun/knife, demonstrated intent to deprive another of life/property by an armed break in, was willing to attack a "family member", all pale in comparison to the fact that he was comfortable about doing it...comfortable enough to think it, plan it out, and do it...literally right next door. Adding to that, his intended victim was loved and valued by his "father"...talk about abuse of trust or a stab in the back. Honestly, I am surprised he did not kill his adopted father first and then proceed with the break-in. Please don't tell me that he didn't because he loved his dad. If that were the case, he wouldn't be dressed in black, intending to terrorize/rob/possibly sexually assault/possibly kill his dad's sister. Seriously, she could have died of a heart attack if nothing else, as others have.

I feel sorrow for both the father and the aunt, as they've had their trust shattered and their hearts broken. Tyler, on the other hand, made his choice (whether by drug use,deviancy, or free will). Psychopathy may be defined clinically as a mental illness, but those engaged in the behavior know they are using and abusing others and delight in the control.

Tania Cadogan said...

Hugs you tight Vita xx