A 40-year-old Wilson man could spend the rest of his life in state prison for murdering his girlfriend and stabbing their daughter in 2023.
Richard D. Fantauzzi-Aviles said little during the one-hour sentencing hearing Thursday before Northampton County Judge Michael J. Koury Jr. He pleaded guilty July 2 to third-degree murder of his girlfriend, Shante Mason, and attempted murder of their daughter, who was 4 years old at the time.
Koury sentenced Fantauzzi-Aviles to the maximum sentence possible, 40-80 years, on the charges, part of a plea negotiation that stretched months. Fantauzzi-Aviles had faced more severe charges, including first-degree homicide, which carries a sentence of life without parole.
“It’s so tragic what happened,” Chief Public Defender Nuria DiLuzio, who represented Fantauzzi-Aviles, said after the sentencing.
Wilson police found Mason, 38, dead at the home Aug. 30, 2023, on the 900 block of South 25th Street, with her daughter next to her. The girl suffered stab wounds and was airlifted to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in critical condition.
DiLuzio said she understands the child has recovered from her wounds.
“She is doing well and thriving in the care of her maternal grandmother,” DiLuzio said. “And Richard is grateful for their help, that they are caring for her.”
Fantauzzi-Aviles, who will turn 41 Wednesday, listened as Mason’s mother and a friend described the anguish he caused family and friends.
Tanya Bynum, Mason’s mother, said, with the sentencing, she believes those who knew Mason can begin to heal and move forward.
Pointing to the courtroom, where more than a dozen supporters sat, Bynum told Fantauzzi-Aviles that Mason’s spirit will live on in them.
She also told him he messed up murdering Mason.
“You actually gave her more life,” Bynum said. “You amplified her life 20 times than what could be on this planet.
“You will live in hell,” she added, looking squarely at Fantauzzi-Aviles.
Melyssa Wood spoke through tears about being longtime friends with Mason going back to middle school. She described Mason as smart and talented, with a wonderful singing voice who also cared for others.
They had lost close contact in recent years, Wood said. “But I always kept tabs on her.”
She said Mason was living in an “abusive relationship” with Fantauzzi-Aviles, who isolated her from friends and family to be in control.
“I knew it was bad,” she said before asking Koury to set the maximum sentence, “but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine what she was experiencing.”
No one spoke on behalf of Fantauzzi-Aviles, though DiLuzio said his brother, Reuben, was in the courtroom.
DiLuzio said Fantauzzi-Aviles had been to a local hospital to seek treatment for mental illness before the attacks. Two doctors provided her office with a diagnosis saying Fantauzzi-Aviles met the criteria for unspecified schizophrenia, paranoia and borderline personality disorder.
She said doctors released him about five days before the attacks in late August.
“It was absolutely the result of a mental breakdown,” she said.
While an insanity defense was brought up early in the sentencing hearing, DiLuzio said she believes Fantauzzi-Aviles, who admitted to police he committed the crimes, chose not to speak or change his earlier plea and go to trial because he had chosen his fate.
“I think he was really ready to accept the sentence the court was going to impose and didn’t want to burden the family with words and expressions that might seem hollow to the victims’ loved ones,” she said.
Mason’s family set up an online fundraising campaign shortly after her death, with the intention of raising $20,000. Nearly $18,000 had been raised as of Thursday.
Contact Morning Call reporter Anthony Salamone at asalamone@mcall.com.
Originally Published: October 16, 2025 at 3:43 PM EDT