BALDWINSVILLE -- Rick Iannuzzo was teaching his last karate class of the night when two state troopers sped by hisBaldwinsville studio.
"Finding out this morning that it was so close to home I met with my staff to figure out what can we do to make things better. So I really want to do some more free events that could help the community," says Iannuzzo.
It wasn't until this afternoon that his wife realized just how close to home this crime is.
"She was just stunned. She stopped and she couldn't talk and then she showed me the picture. And I was like oh my god its our next door neighbor," says Iannuzzo.
While showing CNYCentral's Dora Scheidell some basic self defense moves, he described the sweet woman who had lived across the street for years. They didn't know each other well, but Iannuzzo would always clear her driveway every winter.
"Just the nicest person, never saw her in a bad mood, always pleasant, happy, outgoing," says Iannuzzo.
Iannuzzo says it's an unusual to hear about such a brutal crime in his neighborhood.
"It's a very low crime area and a lot of us are shocked that it happened so close to home. And Great Northern Mall is a very safe place to be. There is not a lot of crime in this area," says Iannuzzo.
Iannuzzo plans to offer some free self defense seminars in the upcoming weeks in response to this tragedy.
