Community contributes to family of slain sisters
HARRISON, N.Y. – The community is chipping in to help the family of two teenage sisters who were killed when their father, a retired police officer, went on a rampage before killing himself.
Alissa Hochman, 17, and her sister, Deanna, 13, will be remembered at a funeral Friday at 10 a.m. ET at St. Gregory the Great Roman Catholic Church in Harrison.
Nearly $28,000 in contributions had already been pledged by late Tuesday afternoon on a GoFundMe site created by Harrison EMT Joe Bilotto. The money will go to Anamarie DiPietro-Hochman and her eldest daughter, Samantha, who were not at home when police say Glen Hochman carried out the slayings.
Late Tuesday afternoon, the family responded with a statement issued by lawyer Warren Roth.
"The family wishes to thank the public for their love and support during this terribly difficult time," it said. "They ask that the public respect their privacy and dignity at this time as they plan for the wake and burial of the loved ones."
Alissa Hochman was a volunteer with the Harrison EMS and a member of the Fire Department's Explorer's Post. She also volunteered with the Larchmont Fire Department. She was a cheerleader, a New York Rangers Fan and enjoyed country music and ice skating.
Deanna played baseball and softball and was a cheerleading captain. She was a wrestling fan and enjoyed playing Xbox.
"Alissa and Deanna were young sisters who lived in the community," Bilotto wrote. "They were both very special girls not only to the family but to many people around the community."
It was not clear when or where Glen Hochman, 52, a retired White Plains police officer, will be buried. The decorated officer shot his daughters to death in their sleep Saturday, then left a six-page suicide note before killing himself in the garage of the family's home.
The Hochman family is well known in the community. Grief counselors have been provided at Harrison High School, where Alissa was a senior and the Windward School in White Plains, which Deanna attended.