ALIQUIPPA, Pa. — Channel 11 is talking with the ex-fiance of Rachael DelTondo, the former teacher who was shot to death in her mother's driveway in Aliquippa late Sunday night.
DelTondo and Frank Catroppa broke up over a year ago. They were together for eight years.
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Catroppa said he voluntarily went to the police department when investigators wanted to question him about DelTondo’s murder.
He tells Channel 11’s Amy Marcinkiewicz he has nothing to hide and is not involved in any way with DelTondo’s death.
"She was a good girl. She had a big heart. Definitely don't understand why or how someone could do something like this to her," Catroppa said.
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Cotroppa's attorney, Stephen Colafella, said he knew police would reach out to question Cotroppa in Rachael's murder.
"In a situation like this where the indicator shows it is a crime of passion, I just wanted to make sure we got out in front of it," Colafella said.
Police interviewed Catroppa for almost an hour on Tuesday, asking about his relationship with DelTondo, the last time he talked to her and where he was the night of the murder.
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"I do want to clear my name, but in a sense, if I can help in the investigation in anyway possible, I would like to assist," Catroppa said.
He told investigators he hasn't talked to DelTondo in eight or nine months, about the time 11 Investigates reported that DelTondo had been found in a car with an underage teen at 2 a.m. in 2016, leading to her suspension from the Pennsylvania Cyber School.
"There’s been some suggestion that Frank could be a person of interest and he’s a very respected regarded businessman in the Pittsburgh region. It’s embarrassing, but it’s an unfortunate situation on both ends," Colafella said.
Catroppa said he was with his current girlfriend the night of the murder and had nothing to do with it. Even though they've been broken up for quite some time, her murder has shaken him.
"It's tragedy, nobody deserves that. She does deserve justice," Catroppa said.
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