Authorities investigate their handling of abuse complaints against ex-husband of murdered Northeast woman
In all, according to police records, Coriano had gone to police at least five times in the last three months to report that Adrian Coriano had threatened, stalked or assaulted her.
The man suspected of killing his ex-wife in front of her Fox Chase home Wednesday pleaded guilty 10 days earlier to violating a protective court order the woman had filed against him.
The court appearance, which netted him a six-month probation sentence, was just the latest in a series of troubling encounters that ended with the fatal shooting of 52-year-old Gladys Coriano — part of a chain of missed opportunities law enforcement is investigating as it reviews her killing.
In all, according to police records and law enforcement sources, Gladys Coriano went to police at least five times in the last three months to report that Adriano Coriano had threatened, stalked, or assaulted her.
In addition, there was an active felony warrant for his arrest at the time, issued by the District Attorney’s Office in November over accusations that he had forced his way into the woman’s home on Halloween, pinned her to the floor, tried to pull her pants down, and threatened her with a knife.
And on Jan. 14, police requested a third warrant, this one over accusations that Coriano was stalking his ex-wife. Prosecutors did not respond until the day of the killing, sources said, and then replied that they needed more information. They were not aware when they sent the affidavit back to detectives that Gladys Coriano had been killed, multiple sources said.
Investigators are now trying to figure out how Coriano’s record of threatening behavior toward his wife was not enough for law enforcement to have prevented him from showing up at her house one last time Wednesday night, allegedly shooting her to death as she sat in her SUV.
Sgt. Eric Gripp, a police spokesperson, declined to discuss possible failures by police to apprehend Coriano before Wednesday’s killing, saying only: “We’re looking into the timeline of events between Miss Coriano and our department.”
Police sources say attempts to arrest Coriano for the months-old warrant may have been slowed because the detective handling that case did not have an updated address for him — and because different detectives were handling Coriano’s various cases..
Jane Roh, a spokesperson for District Attorney Larry Krasner, said she could not yet discuss why Coriano was not arrested at his recent court hearing — or why the latest affidavit for his arrest was delayed — since he has not yet been charged in his ex-wife’s killing.
“The police investigation of the victim’s killing is still in early stages,” she said. “We will be reviewing the criminal justice system’s handling of cases involving the deceased, including our own actions. Domestic violence is an outrageous crime, wherever it occurs.”
Attempts to reach relatives of Gladys Coriano on Thursday were unsuccessful.
Police sources said Gladys Coriano had become so scared of her ex-husband that in recent days she was no longer staying at her home on Hartel Street.
But around 6:40 p.m., she had stopped by to pick up mail and fresh clothes, the sources said. Security camera footage reviewed by police shows Adriano Coriano allegedly speeding up behind Gladys Coriano in his Nissan Altima as she pulls up in front of her home. He allegedly opens fire through his window, striking Gladys Coriano multiple times in her face and body. Witnesses tended to her in the street and dialed 911. Police rushed her to Jefferson Hospital, where she died.
Within an hour, Philadelphia Highway Patrol officers arrested Coriano at an address in Olney, on the charges related to the Halloween assault. Police sources said Coriano gave a partial statement to homicide detectives Wednesday night, but stopped talking when asked directly about the killing.
He remained in custody Thursday, with police expecting to arrest him in the killing.
But investigators were also reviewing what seems to be a series of missed opportunities to protect Gladys Coriano from her husband.
On Nov. 1, Adriano Coriano was arrested for violating a Protection from Abuse order a court issued against him weeks earlier. According to a warrant for that arrest, he had showed up at his wife’s home on Oct. 26 and allegedly started a fight with her son. The incident was also captured on video.
Gladys Coriano told Northeast detectives that she “had made multiple police reports of the offender violating the order,” according to the warrant. In that incident, Coriano was released on bail, awaiting a hearing.
On Nov. 9, the District Attorney’s Office approved a warrant for Coriano’s arrest in the Halloween attack, charging him with burglary and terroristic threats, among other offenses.
But it’s unclear if that warrant even came up on Jan. 12 when he appeared in court for violating the protection order. Instead, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months’ probation. And walked out.
That same day, Gladys Corriano filed another complaint, alleging her ex-husband was sending her harassing text messages.
On Jan. 14, Northeast detectives submitted an affidavit of probable cause with the District Attorney’s Office, alleging that Adriano Coriano had yet again violated the protective order.
But that request lingered for six days, multiple law enforcement sources said, with the District Attorney’s Office returning the affidavit to detectives Wednesday night, saying they needed more information before an arrest could be made.
Law enforcement sources said the District Attorney’s Office wanted GPS information from Adriano Coriano’s phone.
In a Facebook post announcing her death, the Beth Temple Community Bible Church in Kensington said that Gladys Coriano had been a member for 10 years.
“Our dear sister Gladys Coriano’s life was ended suddenly last night,” the post read. “She will be truly missed. Her gentle spirit and humble character always encouraged the church.”