Kriti Mehrotra
When Melissa Marie Rocuba was shot in the head while lying in her own bed on the evening of August 6, 2013, it was nothing but shock that ran through the community of Simpson, Pennsylvania. As chronicled in CBS’ ’48 Hours: Melissa Rocuba’s Final Moments,’ the 44-year-old mother of two was quickly rushed to a nearby hospital, but it was too late as she couldn’t recover from her wounds. No criminal charges were filed at the time since her husband, Bruno Rocuba, consistently claimed his gun had accidentally gone off while cleaning, but a review later uncovered details that investigators later deemed incriminating.
Bruno Rocuba Was Once a Significant Member of Society
While it’s unclear exactly when Bruno Rocuba first met Melissa Marie White, we do know they fell deeply in love before happily tying the knot in a cozy ceremony around the late 1980s. The couple subsequently settled in the suburban area of Fell Township in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, where they welcomed two beautiful daughters, Sabrina Rocuba and Chelsea Rocuba. According to the girls, they were once a “perfect family” because their household was filled with affection, joy, and kindness, and the patriarch was a hard-working, providing member of society.
In fact, in the years leading up to 2013, Bruno and Melissa’s priorities were simply caring for their children and grandchildren, all the while also embracing downtime together as empty nesters. Whether it was quad riding, taking trips to casinos, or spending quality time at the beach, the couple reportedly did it all whenever they were not devoting themselves to family. However, everything changed on the evening of August 6 as Bruno called 22-year-old Chelsea, who lived right next door, claiming there had been a terrible accident and that her mother was injured.
Bruno Rocuba’s Strange Behavior in the Aftermath of His Wife’s Death Raised Suspicions
From the moment family as well as first responders arrived at the scene, Bruno expressed that the gun he kept at home for safety had accidentally gone off while he was cleaning it in the bedroom. According to his accounts, he and Melissa were on the bed winding down for the night when he decided to ensure his weapon was okay, only for it to suddenly fire, injuring both of them severely. He had a bullet wound on his left hand, whereas his wife had been shot in the head, so they were both rushed to different hospitals for emergency surgeries while officials secured all possible evidence.
Bruno was reportedly discharged within a day, so he was able to do a walk-through of the incident for state troopers on August 7, 2013, while Melissa was fighting for her life in intensive care. Sadly, after three days of no improvement in her condition, her family had to make the heartbreaking decision to take her off life support, and she was pronounced dead a day later, on August 10. By this point, he had seemingly consistently asserted that he had “pulled the trigger by accident.” Hence, the family basically believed in his innocence and even comforted him in the aftermath. However, things changed over time as Bruno’s behavior immediately following the incident raised more questions than answers for both authorities and loved ones.
As per records, investigators and family members later said they found it concerning that he had allegedly not visited his wife for more than an hour while she was in the hospital and that he had started getting rid of her belongings immediately after her death. Whether it be her clothes, her pictures, or her dog, their daughters alleged that he got rid of everything quickly. Moreover, the fact that he started dating a woman named Tonia Wilczewski steadily within months didn’t sit well with them either. Yet, he maintained there was never an affair or an overlap. In the end, owing to a lack of evidence as well as his seemingly consistent claims of Melissa’s death being an accident, the district attorney’s office chose not to charge him in 2013.
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Bruno Rocuba is Currently Incarcerated in State Prison
Although Melissa’s case initially seemed open and shut, it was submitted for review over seven years later, which revealed significant details that enabled detectives to launch a new investigation. According to police records, Bruno’s claims were not consistent – he had given three different accounts of what had transpired during his 911 call itself, and there were even more inconsistencies in the walk-through. As if that’s not enough, the family’s home security system had also captured the last moments of Melissa’s life, which indicated that the couple was having an argument before the gun went off. Officials later said audio from the home security system captured the couple arguing shortly before the gun discharged, stating they were “able to hear their last conversation together.”
Therefore, on June 3, 2022, Bruno was arrested and charged with murder, to which he initially pleaded not guilty. Two years later, though, just before his trial was scheduled to commence, he pleaded guilty in May 2024 to the lesser count of third-degree murder. He was consequently sentenced to 12-40 years, so today, at the age of 60, he remains incarcerated at the minimum-security Laurel Highlands State Correctional Institution. He is expected to remain there until at least 2035, as that’s when he will become eligible for parole.
