Sandy Mazzella, 47, his wife, Stephenie, 43, and Sandy's mother, Elaine, 76, were shot to death in their home on Clearsprings Drive in Wake Forest, N.C.
WAKE FOREST, N.C. - A former New Jersey man who was shot to death with his wife and mother in North Carolina last week had accused his alleged killer of threatening him with a gun in the past, according to a temporary restraining order obtained Wednesday by NJ Advance Media.
"He is making me shake and have loss of sleep," Sandy Mazzella wrote in a no-contact order filed Feb. 25. "He has come on my property in the past with a gun."
Wake County District Court Judge Ned W. Mangum dismissed the restraining order on March 24, finding Mazzella had "failed to prove grounds for issuance of a no-contact order."
The next day, Mazzella, 47, his wife, Stephenie, 43, and Sandy's mother, Elaine, 76, were shot to death in their home on Clearsprings Drive in Wake Forest, N.C.
Three family members shot to death
Police have arrested the family's next-door neighbor, Jonathan Frederick Sander, 52, and charged him with three counts of first-degree murder. He is being held without bond and faces life without parole or the death penalty if convicted.
In the Feb. 25 application for a no-contact order, Mazzella stated that Sander had sent threatening text messages and threatened him over the phone and in person.
"My attorney has copies of his texts and also advised me to place a protective order," Mazzella wrote.
On Feb. 26, Mazzella's father filed his own application for a restraining order.
"Jon Sander is calling and leaving threatening voicemails," Salvatore Mazzella wrote. He also accused Sander of enlisting another North Carolina man to threaten the Mazzella family.
A hearing was held on March 3 and a judge granted both temporary restraining orders.
Another hearing was set for March 24, where a judge would determine whether to grant a permanent restraining order, which would have been good for one year.
At the March 24 hearing, however, the judge determined that both father and son had failed to prove that a permanent no-contact order should be issued.
Authorities have said Sander entered the Mazzella home around 6 p.m. on Friday, March 25 and began firing at family members with a shotgun. 911 callers reported hearing gunshots and at least one called to say a man was standing on his deck with a gun.
Judge lifted restraining order before killings
Sandy Mazzella and Jon Sander met several years ago in Pennsylvania. The two men ran a landscaping business in Wake Forest that apparently soured in recent months.
A lawsuit was filed against the two men on Feb. 17 for failing to complete a $6,750 landscaping job in Wake Forest.
In addition, Sander filed a small claims lawsuit against Mazzella seeking $9,600 Sander claims to have loaned Mazzella to purchase a 2009 Corvette, a 2009 Cadillac and furniture.
A trial in that case was set for April 14.
Jim Prassos, who lives across from the Mazzella home, said he thought the two men were good friends. He remembers children splashing in Sander's backyard pool and lots of laughter and music playing.
"You would hear them talking back and forth from their yards. But I never heard any arguments, never heard any fighting," Prassos said.
Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.