Joseph Azzaretto was captured in security footage walking towards his car in Bronx and driving away. What made the nonchalant walk to the car chilling was the fact that he might have murdered his wife just minutes prior and was likely driving to take his own life. His wife, Mary Kate Golding, was found with a knife protruding from her back. Six hours later, Azzaretto’s body was found hanging from a tree near Astoria Park in Queens.
Azzaretto had allegedly informed his family members of the murder that he had committed, and even confessed to one of his friends, before police were alerted. The case is currently being treated as a domestic violence murder- suicide.
ALERT: Mother found stabbed to death in her home hours before her husband was found hanging from a tree in a park in an apparent m*der-su*cide.
Mary Kate Golding, 34, was found stabbed to death in her Bronx home just 6 hours before her husband, Joseph Azzaretto, 33, was… pic.twitter.com/pg9gXittP8
— E X X ➠A L E R T S (@ExxAlerts) July 21, 2026
Golding was a professional set decorator who studied at NYU. She has been a part of various high-profile and popular film and television projects like Goosebumps, The Marvelous Ms. Maisel, and Marry Me.
Golding and Azzaretto had an 11-month-old son, who police discovered next to his mother’s body. According to the New York Post, surveillance footage showed Azzaretto walking towards his minivan, which would have been just moments after the death of his wife, seemingly nonchalant. There was no urgency in his movement as he drove away from the murder scene.
Azzaretto confessed the crime to Golding’s friend and a family member over the phone. The family member contacted the police, while the friend rushed to pick up the child. Golding’s friend arrived at the apartment and was horrified at the sight, scooping the child up and walking out of the apartment.
A Queens dad suspected of killing his wife in a gruesome murder-suicide came from a family with a dark, violent past.
Joseph Azzaretto, 33, was found hanging from a tree in Astoria Park early Tuesday, hours after he allegedly stabbed Mary Kate Golding, 34, to death in their… pic.twitter.com/uF0wIC3EPp
— Crime In NYC (@Crime_In_NYC) July 22, 2026
This was, however, far from the first gruesome incident that had plagued the Azzaretto family. Joseph Azzaretto’s younger brother, Nicholas, had murdered their father in 2020. Nicholas pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter and received 10 years of probation and two years of electronic monitoring.
Golding’s friend took care of 11-month-old Nolan, who was then put in the care of Golding’s parents, who also reached the apartment following the murder. Neighbours have testified to Arrazetto being ‘mentally disturbed’ and hostile. It was also noted by those around him that he was devoted to Nolan immensely. There has been widespread media coverage on the matter; neighbours are said to have been having a tough time reconciling the murder with the family that they knew.
Disclaimer: Inquisitr could not independently confirm the facts of this incident and is reporting based on the information available.
