‘She was amazing’: Woman allegedly stabbed to death by mother in Upper Darby remembered by loved ones

When Nicole Lauria met Daniele Grovola more than a decade ago, it was clear that the little girl from Upper Darby would one day become a star employee at her karaoke company.

“She was amazing,” said Lauria, the owner of Lucky Music Productions. “A lot of people use the phrase, ‘She lit up a room.’ But she really did.”

Tragedy struck the Grovola family days before Christmas.

Daniele Grovola, 23, was found with fatal stab wounds in her family home in Secane the morning of Dec. 23.

Police arrested the young woman’s mother, Diane Grovola, 57, whom they have accused of stabbing her daughter to death in the home. Her husband, John, Daniele Grovola’s father, discovered the horrific scene as he arrived home from an overnight shift at the airport, authorities said.

Friends of Daniele Grovola are shocked by a crime they are struggling to understand.

In the week since Grovola’s death, they have launched a fundraiser to support her father and cover the young woman’s funeral costs. The money will also go toward veterinary bills for the family’s dog, Ezra, which police suspect Grovola’s mother also stabbed that morning.

And loved ones are sharing memories of Daniele Grovola, who brought joy and warmth to those she encountered.

Lauria met John Grovola around 15 years ago, when he made the leap from singing karaoke to joining Lucky Music as an equipment manager and DJ. The company hosts events at venues throughout Delaware County and Philadelphia.

Grovola soon began to bring around his daughter, who took a fast interest in her father’s work.

The father and daughter were “immensely close,” Lauria said. Following in her father’s footsteps, Daniele Grovola eventually joined Lucky Music herself, managing the company’s DJ equipment.

She was training to become a bar trivia host before she died.

Her radiant personality shone on the job, according to Lauria, including at a karaoke party the company hosted in 2024 for children who had disabilities and were on the autism spectrum.

“[Daniele] was just amazing at encouraging them to sing, helping them to feel positive about themselves,” Lauria said. “She was just a warm person.”

Hailey Geller, 23, said she and Grovola had been best friends since the third grade. The girls went on to attend Upper Darby High School together.

“She was never a bother,” Geller said. “She was really good to me, and I was good to her.”

Grovola had her quirks, Geller said, amusing friends with her obsession with Sharpies. The girls would spend afternoons at the mall, where Grovola would hunt for multicolored markers to use in her artwork.

She was an avid fan of anime shows, Geller added, and, as a music lover, adored her headphones.

Geller said Grovola was always there to confide in. In recent months, however, some of Grovola’s comments about her home life had concerned her.

Grovola told Geller that her mother had been “in and out” of local crisis centers. And Grovola described her mother as having “mental issues,” Geller said, once disclosing she had locked herself in the basement to avoid her.

Still, Geller believes Grovola did not share the complete story of possible tensions with her mother. Police have yet to identify a motive in the killing and continue to investigate.

Friends like Lauria said those who knew the Grovola family did not suspect such a crime was possible.

“It makes no sense,” Lauria said. “[Daniele] was a great daughter to her mother … loved her mother very much. This just came out of nowhere.”