Raleigh man charged in fatal domestic violence case dies of lung cancer
A Raleigh man accused of fatally shooting his estranged wife in the head nearly two years ago has died, prompting a judge to dismiss a murder charge against him Monday.
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Mario Vellotti, 66, passed away over the weekend in the medical ward at Central Prison in Raleigh, where he had been treated for months for lung cancer, Wake County Assistant District Attorney Deborah Shandles said.
Vellotti was supposed to go to trial last November for the Aug. 30, 2012, death of his wife, Agata Flipska Vellotti, but the case was indefinitely continued because of his medical condition.
Agata Vellotti, 43, was shot in the head as she was returning to her home on Colbert Creek Loop from walking her 6-year-old son to school.
After the attack, Mario Vellotti drove to the Raleigh Police Department’s downtown substation, where he told officers that he shot her and wanted to surrender, according to search warrants.
Those who knew Agata Vellotti said she had moved out of her husband's home before her death and that she also had a domestic violence protective order against him.
The two were involved in a custody dispute over their son, according to friends and court documents.
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