Anna Maria Tolomello entered a guilty plea today to third degree murder, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse in the death of her longtime partner, with whom she co-owned Pina’s Pizza in Chalfont.
Tolomello, 50, entered the negotiated plea before Bucks County Common Pleas Judge Gary B. Gilman. The negotiated plea comes with a recommended sentence of 18-40 years in jail, said a spokesman for the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office. The sentencing is scheduled for June 25.
Tolomello and Giovanni Gallina, 65, shared a home on the 1400 block of Limekiln Pike in the Chalfont section of New Britain Township.
On March 30, 2022, police found Gallina’s body wrapped in a blue tarp in the primary bedroom, where Tolomello had told them it would be. She allegedly had a hole dug in the back yard of the property that measured 7 feet long, 3 feet deep and 3 feet wide.
Authorities went to the home after Gallina’s son, Phillip, reported that he had not heard from his father, who he normally spoke to almost every day, since March 16. Phillip Gallina told police that Tolomello told him his father was away on business but would not say where or when he would be home.
Tolomello originally claimed she shot Gallina in self-defense. On Monday, she admitted her killing of Gallina was unjustified, that she left his body in their home for 13 days, and that she disposed of evidence related to his murder, the DAs Office said.
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