New York man kills parents and himself weeks after they paid $10K to get him out of jail

Justin Sislo, 35, killed his parents Donna and Steve Sislo before taking his own life in their Town of Madison, Madison County home.

Deputies were called to a home on McCormick Road in the town of Madison on the morning of Friday, Aug. 7, and when they looked through a window of the home, they saw two adults who were “obviously deceased.”

Investigators said evidence indicates 35-year-old Justin Sislo fatally shot his parents, 72-year-old Donna Walker-Sislo and 76-year-old Steve Sislo, before killing himself.

All three were found dead from gunshot wounds inside the couple’s home on McCormick Road.
Deputies responded to the home Friday morning and detected a strong odor of propane or gasoline, and they could also hear gas escaping into the house.

Sislo was arrested for the following: 1 count of Assault in the 2nd degree, 5 counts of Assault in the 3rd Degree, 1 count of Menacing in the 3rd Degree, 3 counts of Strangulation in the 2nd Degree, 1 count of Promoting a Suicide Attempt, and 1 count of Reckless Endangerment 1st Degree. Justin Sislo, 35, was arrested July 29 by Madison County Sheriff’s Office deputies on 24 charges stemming from a domestic incident with his girlfriend.

Moravia Police contacted the Sheriff’s office on July 2, when Justin Sislo was being investigated for a domestic assault involving a 56-year-old female romantic partner, for which he was arrested. His girlfriend’s name was not released in the coverage.

Both the Moravia case and the July 29 Madison County case involved the same girlfriend. Police received information that he committed the same crime in Madison County, which sparked an investigation by the Madison County Sheriff’s Office into Sislo.

The investigation led deputies to search Sislo’s home on July 29, where they seized firearms from inside, along with other evidence. A judge set Sislo’s bail at $10,000, which he posted.

Sislo’s parents, 72-year-old Donna Walker-Sislo and 76-year-old Steve Sislo, bailed him out. Sislo had also been arrested earlier this summer in a separate domestic violence case involving the same girlfriend in Moravia in Cayuga County, and that incident resulted in an order of protection that prohibited Sislo from possessing firearms.

The sheriff’s office said Sislo was not allowed to have firearms at his house because of temporary orders of protection in place. Deputies also recovered a firearm at the scene.

The Sislos’ other son, Jordan Sislo, who lives out of state, called 911 after he had not heard from his parents or brother since Monday, according to emergency dispatches. Jordan Sislo told dispatchers his brother had been staying with their parents and that there had been a “history of domestics” between Justin and his parents.

In the viral moment that prompted the police response, the couple discovered their son’s prior conflict with his father. Justin Sislo also had a prior domestic incident with his father, Steve Sislo, back on March 22nd of 2024, but no charges were filed. Morticelli said Justin Sislo was not someone whose name was familiar to him from frequent interactions with the sheriff’s office.

An investigation remains ongoing into the deaths and the circumstances surrounding Sislo’s release from custody.