Couple celebrates 57 years married despite multiple murder attempts
In spite of infidelity, a murder plot and prison, a couple insists what doesn't kill you can make you stronger. (WFMZ, FAMILY PHOTOS, TRISTAR PICTURES, CNN)
By WFMZ staff
Published: Feb. 17, 2023 at 6:21 AM EST
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (WFMZ) – They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
A Pennsylvania couple insists their unusual romance is proof of that, even though one tried to kill the other for real.
Their story even caught the attention of Hollywood.
It’s a love story.
This year, Tony and Frances Toto will celebrate 57 years of marriage.
“We’ve been blessed that we had, together, all these years. There was one time when we had some rough times,” Tony Toto described.
When Tony Toto says they had a rough time, he’s putting it mildly.
The year was 1983.
Tony and Frances Toto had four kids and a pizza shop, but he strayed from the marriage and she found out.
What happened next was like something out of a movie.
Hollywood thought so too, turning the Toto’s troubles into a feature film called “I Love You to Death,” starring Kevin Kline, Tracey Ullman, Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix.
While not everything in the movie is accurate, Frances Toto did hire teenage hitmen to help her try to kill her husband five times, including failed attempts to blow up his car and attack him with a baseball bat.
One night, Frances Toto put a bottle of sleeping pills in her husband’s food and then the hitmen shot him.
“Twice, one in the back of my head and then the bullet went right through the chest,” Tony Toto said.
Because of the pills, Tony Toto’s system slowed down. He was in a daze and says he didn’t feel a thing, believing his wife when she told him he had the flu.
“The one in his head is still there. I don’t think I was thinking straight. It was like a love hate kind of a thing,” Frances Toto said.
After five days, police found out about the plot and arrested Frances Toto and the teenage hitman.
Tony Toto spent 12 days in the hospital. The first thing he did when he was discharged was bail out his wife.
“And then we both cry and we said to each other, ‘From now on, let’s talk, let’s talk, let’s communicate better.’ Something that we should have done it before. So that’s what was missing,” Tony Toto said.
Tony and Frances Toto say that tearful moment was a new beginning for their relationship and it helped them stay on track.
They got counseling.
“Did I forgive? Yes, nothing happened to me. It’s OK. Don’t do it again. Take it easy,” Tony Toto said.
But Frances Toto had to pay for what she did, spending four years in prison and talking to her spouse on the phone every day.
Then in 1990, a silver lining to their dark cloud: “I Love You to Death” hit theaters.
Tony and Frances Toto traveled to movie premieres around the world and were featured in thousands of newspaper and magazine articles.
The couple says they know their situation is one-in-a-million, and many people won’t agree with it or understand it.
While they stopped talking publicly about what happened long ago, they wanted to share their story now as an extreme example of the importance of communication in a marriage.
“If we could help one or two families, it’s worth it,” Tony Toto said.
If you or a loved one is being abused, or you’re afraid for your safety, help is available. You can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE. You can also chat with someone anonymously at the National Domestic Violence Hotline website.
Source:https://www.actionnews5.com/2023/02...ars-married-despite-multiple-murder-attempts/
