Eileen DiFrancesco wants someone to answer for the cold-blooded murder of her daughter. But three years later, the crime remains unsolved and she believes a homicide detective under investigation by police may be partially to blame.
"I’m glad I’m the age I am, so that I don’t have to live too many years without her,” DiFrancesco said while in tears.
DiFrancesco’s daughter, 45-year-old Leslie Delzingaro, was shot to death back in July of 2010. Police say she was inside J&J's Lounge in Olney, selling lighting equipment to the owner, when a masked gunman stormed inside and opened fire, striking her. She was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.
Ron Dove was one of the detectives who worked on the investigation. The 16-year veteran was suspended last week with the intent to dismiss for allegedly lying to police about the murder case involving his girlfriend Erica Sanchez. Police say Dove helped the 33-year-old in the hours after she alledgely stabbed her ex-husband to death.
In Delzingaro's murder, Dove was assigned to the case, despite the fact that the owner of the bar happened to be Sanchez's father.
The DiFrancesco family believes the close link influenced how he handled the investigation.
"It’s frightening," Eileen said. "You not only have to worry about the criminals but you also have to worry about whether the police are really going to go out there and catch them."
“We wouldn’t be going through all of this if he would have done his job,” said Leslie’s son, Anthony Delzingaro.
Leslie’s family sent a letter to the Philadelphia Police Internal Affairs, claiming Dove was dismissive during his investigation and that he admitted during his only meeting with them that the bar owner was a friend.
Police tell NBC10 they are investigating the family’s complaint as well as other cases handled by Dove.
“He’ll get his one way or another whether in this life or the next life,” Eileen said. “He didn’t do his job and he’ll pay for it, one way or another.”
Officials say all of the investigations are active and on-going.
"We are working hand and glove on this to find out if anything was mishandled or if there was any effort to withhold information," Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said several weeks ago.
