Van Life Murder Suspect Accused of Shooting, Dismembering Wife Testifies In His Own Defense

Joseph Ferlazzo has pleaded not guilty to the first-degree murder of his wife, 22-year-old Emily Ferlazzo, in October 2021. He claims he shot her in self-defense while the two were celebrating their one-year wedding anniversary with a trip to Vermont in their van -- this after he returned from the trip solo and told her family she left after a fight.

Taking the stand on Wednesday, Ferlazzo first claimed Emily had been violent with him numerous times before the trip, including one alleged incident after she saw messages between him and another woman on his phone. He said the pair were in a polyamorous relationship.

"I left my device open for her to see who I was talking to ... it led to violence," he claimed. "Physical abuse started coming into our relationship, where she would go through my phone and then respond by beating on me. She would say, 'You're a f--king a--hole. I can't believe you're f--king talking to this bitch.'"

The other woman, he said, was a friend of his with whom he was romantic at one point; he, however, claimed the two had stopped being physical, while keeping their friendship.

"It was a barrage. The punches and kicks kept coming and coming. She hit hard, she wasn't a gentle person. I wouldn't describe her as gentle," he testified.

On the night of her death, Ferlazzo said the two were arguing quite a bit, with the suspect claiming Emily was "having a fit" and "cussin' and saying how s--tty I was for not giving her money to go have an Uber and leave the vacation."

As the night went on, he said she "started cursing" at him for having candles lit in the van, claiming she was yelling at him to "turn the f--king candles off." He claimed things escalated and she "got up, ran at me and grabbed one of the candles" and started beating him with it.

"Then there was a flurry of punches and kicks that she started punching and kicking me. I had to restrain her, I had to grab her by her arms and hold her arms down," he continued, claiming she also kicked their dog, which caused him to exclaim, "We're not your punching bags."

He stepped outside with the dog, then returned to the van, had more to drink and smoke and got into bed, said Ferlazzo.

"I was climbing over her and she shouted, 'F--k off,' and she threw an elbow at me and elbowed me in my groin," he said, claiming he then told her to stop hitting him. "And that's when it happened," he said.

"She said, 'That's it, you're dead,' and she threw her arm under her pillow and she pulls her hand out with the Taurus [gun]. I was feeling horrified. I was terrified," he testified. "As soon as I saw that, I felt a wave of heat, red hot, and she started pushing her body up ... and I'm like, 'No, no, no, no, no' ... she wasn't stopping. I was holding my Glock and she started coming up at me and I just fired. She was gonna shoot me."

"It was two shots and her body dropping," he recalled. Ferlazzo then put her body into the bathroom and, the next day, went to breakfast with family, took a shower and cleaned up. He told others that Emily left to go with friends ... and, at one point, even gave his sister a brand new tattoo.

That same day, according to statements he made to police during his confession, he used a hand saw to dismember Emily's body -- and allegedly cut off her feet, legs, arms and head, so he could bury her remains in the woods. Bags containing her remains were discovered in the van by police. Ferlazzo also told police that he stabbed her dead body numerous times; Emily had stab wounds on her torso and back.

Under cross examination, he said he didn't recall talking to police and had "no memory" of dismembering Emily. He claimed he was "revolted" watching back video of his confession.

Ferlazzo also testified he had a "memory of cutting into her leg with a knife and being sick over it," before prosecutors pointed out that he told police he used a saw. Again, he said he had no memory.