The Mazzella Family Murders
For this case, I watched an episode of Fear Thy Neighbor. It’s season 7 episode 6, titled ‘Old Friends, Bad Neighbors.’
A longtime feud between friends and business partners turns deadly.
Background
Sandy Mazzella, his wife Stephanie, and their two kids lived in Wake Forest, North Carolina. They met the family next door, Jon Sander, his wife and their kids.
Sandy and Jon started a business together called Advance Mowing and Landscaping. Jon did patio and concrete work, and Sandy mowed the lawns. Stephanie Mazzella worked as a nurse.
The two families were very close for quite sometime. They had barbecues, went on vacations, and continued to run a successful business.
Sandy and Stephanie Mazzella
Elaine, Sandy, and Stephanie
The Breaking Point
Things seemed to shift between the families, when Sandy’s brother-in-law, Joe, moved in to help with the business.
Joe didn’t do well. He’d drink on the job, and had a foul mouth. Jon fired him, but Sandy didn’t want to turn his back on his family.
Another incident occurred when the Mazzella’s pitbull got out of the house, and attacked the Sander’s dog. The Sander’s called animal control, and the dog was put down. Jon tried to make amends, and even gave the Mazzella’s another dog.
The final straw seemed to be when Joe caught Jon and the Mazzella’s young daughter underneath a blanket. The daughter reported it to her parents months later, after she was touched inappropriately by a neighbor boy during a game.
The business fell through. Sandy’s father stepped in trying to salvage what he could. Jon sued Sandy for a $10,000 loan that wasn’t repaid, but it was eventually dismissed.
Sandy, Joe, and Stephanie taunted Jon by calling him a molester. Jon became so paranoid that he would be taking to jail or lose his kids.
The Threats
Jon sent Sandy several text messages about fooling around with Stephanie.
Joe threatened that he was going to rape Jon’s wife and daughter, who was only around 11 years old. Joe was questioned at the station, and was told that threatening a minor is illegal.
The Mazzella’s called the police about Jon’s text messages, but there wasn’t a lot that could be done.
Both families continued to threaten each other constantly. Jon was arrested a few weeks before the murders, when he threatened to kill and bury Sandy. He was released on bond a few hours later.
Jon’s wife was ticketed for blocking the Mazzella’s driveway. The Mazzella’s were planning to move away due to the feud becoming too much. Packing is exactly what they were doing on the night of the murders.
The Murders
On March 26, 2016, Jon was dropped off at a local bar by his wife. He drank six tall beers. Before leaving, he told the bartender that he wouldn’t be back, and that they’d probably see him on the news.
Jon went upstairs, retrieved his shotgun, and walked over to the Mazzella home.
He walked through the open garage door. Elaine, Sandy’s mother, was shot first. Her final words were “oh my God.” Sandy told his dad Sal to run. Sal was able to escape, and had Joe call 911. Sandy was not so lucky, he was shot, and then Stephanie.
The shots were all at close range, and the crime scene was described as disturbing.
The Conviction
Jon would later say that he had been drinking and had smoked pot that evening.
In 2019, Jon stood trial. The prosecution pushed for the death penalty. They believed that Jon had planned this for quite some time.
Jon’s defense was that he snapped after being taunted about the molestation, which Jon has always denied. Jon was not sleeping, and was constantly worried that he’d go to jail, and lose his kids.
Jon Sander was found guilty of all three murders. He was sentenced to 3 consecutive life terms.
At trial, Sal, Sandy’s dad, said he forgave Jon. How did Jon react? By saying he was framed, and accusing Sal of killing his family.
He had several outbursts, and had to be removed from the courtroom.
Jon Sander during one of his outbursts
FINAL THOUGHTS
Jon might have had some severe mental health issues, but that doesn’t excuse what he did. Jon seemed to have worked himself into a paranoia, and blamed the Mazzella’s for his downfall.
I don’t think either family is innocent, however, three people lost their lives. There are children out there without parents, and still a lot of unanswered questions about everything that happened between the families.
Jon deserves to be in prison forever for what he did.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/sandy-and-stephanie-mazzella-murders-where-is-jonathan-sander-now/
https://www.wral.com/wake-forest-man-gets-life-sentence-in-deaths-of-three-neighbors/18327804/
https://abc11.com/jonathan-sander-trial-murder-sandy-mazzella/5221990/
https://abc11.com/jonathan-sander-trial-murder-sandy-mazzella/5228590/
