Police said Tiffany Malvaso suffered significant blunt force trauma before she was found inside a Cleveland Drive residence.
TOWN OF TONAWANDA, NY — A 36-year-old Town of Tonawanda man has been charged with second-degree murder after police said his wife was found dead early Saturday inside their home on Cleveland Drive.
Nicholas M. Malvaso was arraigned Saturday afternoon in Tonawanda Town Court on one count of second-degree murder, a Class A-I felony. Prosecutors said he is accused of intentionally causing the death of his wife, 51-year-old Tiffany L. Malvaso. He was held without bail at the Erie County Holding Center, with a felony hearing scheduled for Thursday, May 21.
Town of Tonawanda police officers and paramedics responded at about 2:45 a.m. Saturday, May 16, to a residence in the 300 block of Cleveland Drive after a 911 call. Local reports identified the address as 337 Cleveland Drive. Officers found Tiffany Malvaso dead inside the home. Police said she had suffered significant blunt force trauma. The Erie County District Attorney’s Office said Nicholas Malvaso was arraigned before Tonawanda Town Court Justice J. Patrick Lennon. District Attorney Michael J. Keane said the charge carries a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison if Malvaso is convicted.
Investigators have not publicly released a detailed timeline of what they believe happened before the 911 call. They also have not said who placed the call, whether any weapon was recovered or whether anyone else was inside the home when officers arrived. The case remains in its early court stage. Authorities said Detective Robert Kubus, Detective Mark Muscoreil, Detective Mak Shell, Officer Justin Okun and Officer Nick Thomas of the Town of Tonawanda Police Department worked on the investigation. Assistant District Attorney Frank A. Strano of the Homicide Bureau and Chief Justin T. Wallens of the Narcotics/Intelligence Bureau are prosecuting the case.
The death drew police activity to a quiet residential stretch of Cleveland Drive, where neighbors said they were stunned by the scene. Crime scene tape remained around the home after the weekend. Ginny Geelan, who lives nearby, said she saw police vehicles around the home Saturday but did not know at first what had happened. “It’s just beyond anything I could have ever imagined, and I feel so sorry for the woman and the family,” Geelan said. She said she did not know the couple well beyond brief greetings in the neighborhood.
Geelan said the case left residents unsettled because the neighborhood is usually calm and private. “I think it’s absolutely terrifying to think that this would happen in this neighborhood because it’s such a quiet, private neighborhood,” she said. “People keep to themselves.” The killing has become a rare and serious criminal case for the Northtowns community, where residents described the police response as unusual for the block. Authorities have not released information about any prior calls to the home or any known history involving the couple.
The next step in the case is Malvaso’s felony hearing, scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday, May 21. At that hearing, prosecutors may present evidence for the case to move forward in local court, unless the matter changes through grand jury action or another procedural step. Malvaso remained in custody without bail after his arraignment. Prosecutors noted that, as with all people accused of crimes, he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Police have asked anyone with information about the case to contact the Town of Tonawanda Police Department. As of Thursday, officials had not announced additional charges, a motive or further findings from the investigation. The case now moves from the initial police response and arraignment into the next court phase.
Author note: Last updated May 21, 2026.