More questions are being raised about why a Northern Virginia man who allegedly strangled his wife was set free on bond weeks before he was charged in the brutal beating that killed her.
Peter Lollobrigido was arrested in late July and accused of strangling and beating Gina Lollobrigido in front of their teenage son.
In her petition for the protective order, Gina wrote her husband began choking her, told her “you are going to sleep,” then used an expletive.
Friends say Gina feared he would kill her.
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At a July 30 hearing on criminal charges, court services recommended no bond for Peter Lollobrigido and that he be held in jail.
But the judge granted a $5,000 bond, ordered him to have no contact with his wife and put him on a GPS tracking device.
Less than two months later, on Sept. 19, Lollobrigido called 911 to report he’d killed Gina at her home in Sterling, according to dispatch calls.
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Court documents say when police got to Gina’s apartment, Lollobrigido told them
he gave her a kiss and "looked her square in the eyes" before telling her he loved her. Then, he began striking her with a hammer, court documents said.
Gina died of her injuries. She was 44.
"In our community this is major, devastating blow," said Judy Hanley, the executive director of the Loudoun Abused Women's Shelter.
The domestic violence community is asking why Peter Lollobrigido got bond and, once he did, why the protective order and GPS monitoring didn’t stop him from allegedly killing her.
"When I look at those documents, if I were the victim I would see that both in criminal case and civil case he was not supposed to come near me," Hanley said. "On paper, she did everything she was supposed to do to protect herself."
County officials say the bond order and the protective order are completely separate.
While the bond order said Peter Lollobrigido should have no contact with his wife, that was not programmed into the GPS monitor.
There was no alarm or alert when police say he went to her apartment, and carried out the attack that killed her, the county said.
Judy Hanley said her organization and other county agencies who serve domestic violence victims will figure out whether a change is needed to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.
News4 reached out to the Loudoun Commonwealth’s Attorney for comment, but has not yet heard back.
Here's a list of resources for help with domestic violence in the D.C. area and beyond.
