CARMEL – The suspect in the murder of a Mahopac woman on April 27 shot and killed himself as police were closing in on him.
Perla Gatchalian, 75, was found shot to death in her Coventry Circle, Mahopac home last Thursday.
Carmel Police Chief Michael Cazzari said investigation and recovery of evidence led to the belief that Filippo Buffone, 69, was her killer. He was the father-in-law of the victim’s daughter.
Before he could be arrested, Cazzari said Buffone shot himself to death in a parking lot off Park Avenue near his home in Harrison.
The investigation is continuing, but police said there is no indication that anyone else was involved in Gatchalian’s death.
The State Police and their Major Crimes Unit as well as the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s Office assisted in the investigation.
The Harrison and Yorktown police departments were also credited with recovering key pieces of evidence and the Carmel Highway Department assisted officers in searching for evidence.
