Colonie homicide arrest part of tragic and violent family history

As NewsChannel 13 reported on Monday, a man is accused of killing his own grandfather in Colonie. Now we’re learning more about the suspect.

Police say there was a long-standing dispute for months between the grandfather and grandson.

There was an emergency call for help at the grandparents’ home just two days before the homicide.

NewsChannel 13 did a lot of digging, and discovered a long family history of violence and tragedy that made headlines.

Police say 33-year-old Nicholas Pantoni beat his grandfather Gerald Curran at his home on Arcadia Court early Friday morning.

Police say the 82-year-old grandfather had head injuries and died the next day.

Police worked quickly to make an arrest, picking up Pantoni in less than 12 hours at the Albany City Mission.

Police tell NewsChannel 13 just two days before the homicide, they got a call from the Currans that Pantoni was at the house where he was not welcome, and that he left before officers arrived.

They also say Pantoni has a pending charge for domestic assault in October.

His family history includes three generations of violence and tragedy.

Here’s how grandson and grandfather are related:

Pantoni’s mother is Patricia Burns, Curran’s stepdaughter. She was stabbed to death by Pantoni’s stepfather Clifford Burns, on Christmas Eve 2013 in front of her two daughters. It was a case that made headlines. Clifford Burns drove from Schenectady to kill his estranged wife in Lake Luzerne.

One generation further back, police say Clifford’s father kidnapped his wife and shot a police officer before turning the gun on himself in 1984.

Police say so far, Pantoni has been charged with felony assault in connection with the attack on his grandfather, but those charges are expected to be elevated.

He’s being held in jail and is due back in court on Wednesday.

One person who had regular contact with the grandfather, Curran, said that he was always very sweet to deal with.