Pennsylvania Couple Celebrates 57 Years Of Marriage After Wife Attempts To Murder Husband

No marriage is perfect, every couple will go through a rough patch. This couple's rough patch, however, may have been a bit crazier than others.

The Toto's have a relationship that some people would call a "Hollywood Movie Romance" because of all the crazy drama that happened.

Its funny people say that because their love story actually did make it to the big screen 40 years ago. This year, Tony Toto and his wife, Frances Toto, will celebrate 57 years of marriage.

Get our free mobile app

Starting in 1983

Back in 1983, in Allentown Pennsylvania, Tony and Francis were living their life together. They had four kids running around and the family owned a pizza shop. Things were great... until they weren't.

The couple went through a rough patch as Tony strayed from the marriage. When Francis found out that her husband was not being faithful, she took a dark turn.

What happened next was something out of a Hollywood movie. In fact, the story was turned into a movie, as Francis was so angry and hurt by Tony's decision that she decided she was going to murder her husband.

Attempting To Kill

Francis hired teenage hitmen to kill her husband Tony five different times. They tried things such as blowing up Tony's car and beating him with a bat. Those murder attempts failed, but the next attempt had consequences.

One night when Francis was cooking Tony dinner, she put a bottle of sleeping pills in his food. When Tony became numb, the two teenage hitmen shot him. One bullet was shot into the back of his head, and another bullet was shot through his chest.

Because of the abundance of pills in Tony's system, he claimed he did not feel the gunshots. Frances told him he didn't feel good because he had the flu, and he believed her.

Police Fund Out

After five days, police found out about Francis's many plots to kill her husband using teenage hitmen. She was arrested.

"I don't think I was thinking straight," said Frances. "It was like it was like a love-hate kind of a thing."

In The Hospital

Tony spent 12 days in the hospital being treated for his gunshot wounds. The first thing he did when he was released was bailed his wife out of jail.

"We both cry and we say to each other, 'You know, from now on, let's talk. Let's talk. Let's communicate better,'" Tony said. "Something that we should've done before, so that was what was missing."

After talking and working things out, the couple decided to go to counseling to help them stay on track.

Time In Jail

Obviously, when you attempt to murder someone, you can't just roam the earth freely. Francis ended up spending four years in prison, but that didn't stop the couple from maintaining their marriage. Frances and Tony talked on the phone every day while Francis was in prison.

Hollywood Love Story

In 1990 the movie "I Love You To Death" hit theaters. It was a big hit about the Toto's love story. Though most of the details added to the movie did not happen in real life, it still focused on the plot of Francis hiring teenage hitmen to kill her husband.

When Francis got out of prison, the couple traveled to movie premieres around the world and were featured in thousands of newspapers and magazine articles.

40 Years Later...

The couple knows that many people will never understand their relationship and many others will not support it, but they believe that love conquers all. They want to stress how important it is in a marriage to communicate with your partner.

Here is a current news clip of the couple talking about their story after 57 years of marriage.

Domestic Violence

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. That's 1-800-799-7233.

You can also chat with someone anonymously at the National Domestic Violence Hotline website.

Read More Here: WFMZ