Wednesday
April 24, 2024 
The woman accused of the 2022 killing of her longtime partner and co-owner of Pina’s Pizza in Chalfont was in court last week.
Anna Maria Tolomello, 49, appeared at the Bucks County Justice Center for a pretrial conference. Her attorneys and the county’s district attorney’s office agreed to a conference next month.
She told authorities at the time that she acted in self-defense on March 16, when she shot Giovanni Gallina, 65, in the head. She directed police to his body, which she had “wrapped up” in a blue tarp in their bedroom.
The killing wasn’t discovered until March 30, when Hilltown Township Police and Bucks County Detectives went to the couple’s house on the 1400 block of Limekiln Pike.
Gallina’s son, Phillip, who was living in Italy, reported to police that he hadn’t heard from his father since March 16 and was unable to reach him. Phillip Gallina told authorities he normally spoke with his father almost every day and became concerned when Tolomello said his dad “was away on business” but wouldn’t say where or when he coming home.
At the time, police said, Tolomello had contracted to have a large hole dug in her backyard where she intended to bury Gallina’s body.
An autopsy showed Gallina was shot in the back of the head, according to authorities.
No trial date has been set and Tolomello remains in the Bucks County Correctional Center without bail. She is charged with homicide, possessing an instrument of crime, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.
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