D.A. Sat On Arrest Warrant For Abusive Man Who Killed Ex-Wife

By Ralph Cipriano
for BigTrial.net

On Jan. 14th, police sought an arrest warrant for Adriano Coriano, for violating a protection order by repeatedly stalking, harassing and assaulting his ex-wife.

But for six straight days, the charging unit of the District Attorney's office sat on that request, and did nothing.

Finally, at 8:40 p.m. on Jan. 20th, an assistant district attorney from the charging unit sent an email to the cops stating that the D.A.'s office was declining to issue the arrest warrant, because they needed more information.

Specifically, the D.A.'s office wanted to know the husband's email address, cell phone number, and date-of-birth. The D.A.'s office also wanted to change some language in the arrest warrant. Such as in the arrest warrant, police had referred to Coriano's "former wife of seven years;" the D.A. wanted to change that to the "former wife of defendant."

There was only one problem -- two hours earlier that day, Adriano Coriano drove over to his ex-wife's house and shot Gladys Coriano multiple times. An hour after the D.A. notified the police that they were declining to approve the arrest warrant for her husband, Gladys Coriano, 52 was pronounced dead at Jefferson Hospital.

Before he became a homicide prosecutor in the Philadelphia District Attorney's office, Carlos Vega worked in the D.A.'s charging unit.

"Having been in that office in the past, it is inconceivable to me that any arrest warrant could sit in the district attorney's office for more than 24 hours," said Vega, who is running in the May 18th primary for the Democratic nomination for district attorney, against incumbent D.A. Larry Krasner.

When he worked in the charging unit, Vega said, "we had 12 hour shifts. Nothing stayed there for days. Someone can die."

"This is  a tragedy where she [Gladys Coriano] trusted the system to protect her and she followed all the rules to protect her life and be safe," Vega said. "And now she's dead. And all I can think about is that warrant sat there for six days."

As is his usual practice for the past 18 months, District Attorney Larry Krasner did not respond to a request for comment. Neither did Jane Roh, his alleged spokesperson. 

Our D.A. views himself as above questioning. He also seems to have forgotten that there is a reelection campaign going on, and as part of that, the lofty Krasner may have to debate his opponent on the issues. And one of the biggest issues of the campaign is the incompetence and corruption of the D.A.'s office under Krasner.

At 6:44 p.m. on Jan. 20th, police responded to a report of a person with a gun and found Gladys Coriano "suffering from multiple gunshot wounds." She was lying on the street, bleeding from the head, according to a police report.

The cops took Gladys Coriano to Jefferson Hospital where she was pronounced dead less than three hours later, at 9:42 p.m. The cops subsequently arrested Adriano Coriano, 55, who told the police, "I'm not going to admit what I did. I'm sorry. I feel bad about it."

Police said that when Coriano followed his ex-wife, he believed she was in a car with a boyfriend, which turned out to be not true.

The couple got divorced last February. Adriano Coriano moved out of their house in March, but he wouldn't leave his ex-wife alone.

Since last November, a total of three arrest warrants were issued for the ex-husband, for repeatedly harassing and assaulting his wife, and for repeatedly violating a protection order she and her sons had taken out against him.

But on one of those arrest warrants, for aggravated assault, a detective who was working the case came down with COVID, and the Police Department apparently dropped the ball when it came to protecting Gladys Coriano. The warrant was approved by the D.A.'s office but it was never served by the cops. Police have launched an internal investigation to find out why.

On Nov. 1st, Adriano Coriano was arrested  and charged with contempt for violation of an order or agreement, namely a protection order.  Bail was set on Nov. 2 at $25,000, meaning Coriano had to post 10%, or $2,500, which he did later that same day and got out of jail.

The felony warrant against Coriano accused him of allegedly attempting to force his way into his ex-wife's home on Halloween, pinning her to the floor, threatening her with a knife, and trying to pull down her pants.

A trial date was set for Nov. 17th, but was postponed until Jan. 12th, after Stanley Ellenberg, the lawyer for the defendant requested a continuance. 

The next scheduled court date, Jan. 12th, was two days before police sought a third and final arrest warrant against Adriano Coriano. In court on Jan. 12th, Coriano entered a negotiated guilty plea and was sentenced to six months probation.

If the D.A. or the cops had known about the existence of a previous warrant, they could have locked up Coriano the minute he walked into court.

Court records note that Coriano's probation was to be supervised by the Domestic Violence Unit, but the supervision was limited to "telephone reporting due to COVID."

On Jan. 14th, Gladys Coriano brought a booklet of evidence she had accumulated against her ex-husband to police, who issued a third warrant for violating a protection order.

But the D.A.'s office sat on that warrant for six days.

On Jan. 20th, a neighbor who had just talked to Gladys Coriano said he heard a gunshot, looked outside and saw a man holding a gun outside the window of a white Nissan Altima. The neighbor told the cops he saw the man shoot the victim four more times.

When the cops showed up at the door of the ex-husband's house, at 5201 N. Howard Street, they were greeted by Francisca Rosa. She told the cops she was Coriano's new wife, and that the two just gotten married the previous Sunday. 

When the cops asked about the whereabouts of Coriano's car, Rosa explained that her husband's 2016 Nissan Altima was parked at her mother's house at 2863 N. Howard Street.

One of Gladys Coriano's two sons told police that his mother had installed security cameras because of her ex-husband's repeated attacks. Gladys Coriano was so fearful of her ex-husband that she was staying at her son's house. 

But on Jan. 20th, Gladys Coriano drove home to retrieve some clothing, when she noticed her ex-husband was following her. And he was packing a gun.

Gladys Coriano's death was one of 50 homicides last month, a 32% increase over last year, and a new all-time record for January. The previous record for January murders was set back in 1990, with 45.

Adriano Coriano had a rap sheet that featured 14 arrests. 

On July 26, 2006, Coriano pleaded guilty to harassment, retaliation against a witness or victim, criminal mischief, and possession of an instrument of crime. That same day, he also pleaded guilty in a separate case to stalking and making terroristic threats. He was sentenced to 2 to 4 years in jail, plus probation for a minimum of three years. 

On March 2, 2004, Coriano pleaded guilty to criminal mischief and criminal trespass, and making terroristic threats.  He was sentenced to 11 to 23 months in jail.

On May 12, 2000, Coriano pleaded guilty to manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance and received a sentence of one year to 23 months in jail.

Gladys Coriano has been portrayed as a victim of domestic violence, but family members described her as a strong woman of faith.

Her funeral service will be held tomorrow.