A man has been accused of murdering his father and leaving the victim’s organs outside his body in a sleepy Connecticut town. This was the town’s first murder in more than 20 years, and has been described by the suspect’s defence attorney as a “tragedy of Shakespearean proportions.”
On Saturday, August 3, authorities responded to a caller who claimed that he had hurt his father at a residence in Ridgefield. The suspect, 31-year-old Steven James Uricchio, was found by authorities outside the house, wearing a dark blue shirt with boxer shorts, his hands in the air, a police report obtained by the Hour said.
Uricchio appeared to have blood on his hands and was sweating. He was then instructed by cops to walk forward with his arms extended.
Authorities inspected Uricchio for weapons, and then went on to ask him about his dad, Marc Uricchio. “I murdered him,” said Uricchio, adding that he had killed him “really, really badly.”
‘This is a tragedy of Shakespearean dimensions’
Investigators entered the house to find blood drops on the stairs and on both sides of the wall. At the top of the stairs lay a fillet knife covered in blood. 83-year-old Marc lay on the floor in his bedroom, according to cops.
Marc was pronounced dead at the scene. Both his groin and abdomen were mutilated. Some of his internal organs were discovered outside his body.
Police Capt. Jeffrey Raines told the News-Times that this horrific incident was Ridgefield’s first murder since 2003. The killing “shakes the town up. This is a very safe community,” he said.
Uricchio told officers a few hours after being arrested that he had problems in his stomach because of a quarter of a bottle of Advil he had earlier taken. He was then taken to Danbury Hospital for evaluation, where he told doctors he had been prescribed a medication that he had not taken “in a month or two.” He also confessed that he regularly used cannabis.
After being discharged from the hospital, Uricchio was taken back to Ridgefield police headquarters on suicide watch. On Monday, August 5, he was arraigned in Danbury Superior Court. He seemed almost catatonic and was carried into the courtroom.
Uricchio reportedly slumped with his head on the defence table and was asked by the judge to stand up. A nearby officer had to pull him to his feet.
Uricchio’s defence lawyer Willie Dow claimed that the suspect had “significant mental health history.” Dow agreed with the prosecution’s request for mental health treatment and a competency evaluation. He also agreed that his client required continued suicide watch. The judge approved all of these.
“This is a tragedy of Shakespearean dimensions. It has devastated the family as well as my client,” Dow told News 12 Connecticut.
Uricchio is due back in court on September 4. He is at present being held on $1.5 million bail.
