Yahoo Finance Brother of Late WWE Superstar Ashley Massaro Killed in N.Y.C Knife Attack
Ronnie Massaro Facebook; Bobby Bank/WireImage
The victim of a seemingly random knife attack in New York City last month has been identified as the brother of late WWE star and Survivor contestant Ashley Massaro.
Ronnie Massaro, 39, was fatally stabbed on Nov. 21 outside 2 Bros Pizza on the intersection of Eighth Ave. and W. 38th St., according to WABC, the New York Post and the New York Daily News, all citing authorities.
Per WABC, Ronnie, a Smithtown, N.Y. resident, was found unconscious and unresponsive with stab wounds to his torso. He was reportedly rushed to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and pronounced dead that night at 9:40 p.m.
Lawrence Downey, 59, was arrested the following day and charged with first-degree murder, according to the Post. He is being held without bail.
It remains unclear if the attack was random or targeted.
The New York Police Department has not yet responded to PEOPLE's request for comment.
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Ronnie's sister, Ashley, died suddenly at 39 in New York on May 16, 2019. Her death was deemed an apparent suicide.
Ashley performed in the WWE from 2005 to 2008 after winning the WWE’s Diva Search in 2005, which resulted in a one-year, $250,000 contract. She has also worked as a TV and radio host and model.
In 2007, during her stint with the WWE, Ashley appeared on Survivor: China, the 15th season of the long-running reality show. There she battled physical illness in her first six days and was the second contestant voted out of the game.
Bobby Bank/Getty Images Ashley Massaro in 2015
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A day before her death, Ashley tweeted that she had just responded to “a ton of fanmail so you guys should be receiving them soon! Love ya punx.”
Authorities were called to the wrestler’s home in Suffolk County on the following day. She was transported to a nearby hospital, where she died on May 16.
WWE Ashley Massaro
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Following her death, Ashley's 18-year-old daughter, Alexa, paid tribute to her mom on Instagram.
Along with a photo of them together on the red carpet, Alexa wrote on her Instagram story, “i wish i could have gotten more recent pictures.”
She added, in a rush of grief, “i love you mommy i want to wake up in your arms more than anything i want to give u a big hug please come back this cant be real.”
