Doctor's report says Fort Salonga woman was disturbed

For months before she stabbed her husband to death one year ago Saturday, Kathleen Prisco lived in a dark, imaginary universe.

According to a psychological profile of Prisco contained in court documents, the Fort Salonga mother of three believed that she was being followed, that her phone and home computer had been tapped, and that her husband, Ralph, would replace her with another woman and take their children away.

"He's trying to kill me," she screamed at her elder son and daughter, according to a report prepared for the Suffolk district attorney's office by Manhattan psychiatrist Dr. Stuart Kleinman.

The report was viewed Thursday by Newsday after Prisco pleaded not responsible for her husband's death by reason of mental disease or defect.

Kleinman's 80-page report, based on interviews and statements from dozens of friends, neighbors and family members, concludes that Prisco, 49, suffered from delusions and depression before she killed her husband and that she probably remains "psychotically paranoid."

Matthew Prisco, the elder of her two sons, said assessments of his mother after his father's death had confirmed the family's earlier fears.

"We had suspected that she had what seemed to be delusional interpretations," the son, 23, said Wednesday during an hourlong interview, reflecting on the challenges the family has faced. "She was afraid that she was going to lose her family."

Friends and family viewed Prisco as "ditsy" and "quirky" and did not seek help for her, Kleinman's report said.

"No one saw enough of the picture to be able to intervene," Matthew Prisco said.

Before his father's death, he said, his mother was dedicated to her family. "It was a loving household," he said. "But this underlying paranoia would surface from time to time."Now the de facto head of the household, Matthew said he talks to his mother by phone every day and visits her in jail every few weeks.

Since her arrest, Kathleen Prisco has not been treated for mental illness, Matthew Prisco said. Her attorney, Thomas Liotti of Garden City, said she could not receive treatment while doctors tried to determine whether she could be held legally responsible for Ralph Prisco's death.

Matthew Prisco said he is hopeful his mother someday can return home.

"The legal process has been grueling," Matthew Prisco said. "She needs intensive therapy and a very thorough evaluation of her needs, and she actually hasn't been able to get that."