CONTENT WARNING: GRAPHIC DETAILS:
A 31-year-old man is charged with murder in the "gruesome" killing of his father that has shocked one of the oldest and otherwise safest towns in America.
Steven James Uricchio of Ridgefield, Connecticut, was arrested Saturday and charged with murder after police responded to a domestic violence incident and found his father dead inside the residence. The suspect was held over the weekend on $1.5 million bond and did not enter a plea at his court appearance on Monday, online records show.
The Ridgefield Police Department identified the victim as the suspect's 83-year-old father, Marc Joel Uricchio. The victim was discovered with his face, abdomen and groin mutilated, and his internal organs were found outside his body, according to a police report obtained by local news outlet The Hour.
Danbury State’s Attorney David Applegate described the crime as "gruesome" at the arraignment hearing, but did not disclose further details, The Hour reported.
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Defense attorney Willie Dow said he has had only "limited" communication with his client and raised concerns about Steven Uricchio's mental health. Dow reportedly requested that a suicide watch be continued because "there is a significant mental health history" involved in this case.
During the hearing, Uricchio leaned forward and put his head on a table in the courtroom. He refused to rise at the instruction of Superior Court Judge Thomas Saadi. Eventually, court marshals forced him to stand, according to The Hour.
The judge reportedly ordered a competency review to determine whether Uricchio is able to stand trial.
Uricchio is next due in court on Sept. 4.
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Details of the crime as stated in the police report are horrific. Ridgefield police responded to a domestic incident call at Powerderhorn Drive at 1 a.m. Saturday in which the caller stated he hurt his father, according to the police report reviewed by The Hour.
When officers arrived at the house, they discovered Uricchio with his hands in the air wearing a dark blue T-shirt and boxer shorts, police said. Officers instructed Uricchio to step toward them with his arms extended, according to the report.
When Uricchio reached the end of a cement walkway that leads to the front door, officers had the suspect lie on his stomach with his arms stretched out, The Hour reported. Uricchio was frisked for weapons and police observed he was sweating profusely and appeared to have blood on his hands, the report said.
Officers then asked Uricchio what he had done to his father. "I murdered him," the suspect replied, pausing and then adding, "really, really badly," according to police.
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Police handcuffed Uricchio and asked him where his father was. The suspect indicated his father was in his upstairs bedroom, according to police.
Officers then entered the home to investigate. According to The Hour, the police report states that officers observed drops of blood on the steps and blood on both sides of the wall. They found a bloodied filet-style knife at the top of the stairs, according to the report.
Marc Uricchio was found in his bedroom, lying on the ground, facing the doorway, police said. The victim had reportedly been mutilated and some of his internal organs found outside his body. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene, according to police.
Steven Uricchio was taken into custody and charged with murder.
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The shocking crime was the first homicide reported in Ridgefield since 2003, police Capt. Jeffrey Raines told the News-Times.
Such a killing "shakes the town up," said Raines. "This is a very safe community."
Incorporated in 1709, Ridgefield was listed as the No. 1 safest city in America last year by NeighborhoodScout, with a total crime rate of 1.9 per 1,000 residents. The chance of being a victim was reported to be 1 in 510.
Following his arrest, Uricchio told police he had stomach problems because he had taken a quarter of a bottle of Advil earlier.
Uricchio was transported to Danbury Hospital and handcuffed to a hospital bed while medical staff gave him an evaluation, police said.
The suspect told doctors he was prescribed a medication that he had not taken "in a month or two," and that he occasionally used cannabis, The Hour reported.
He returned to police custody after his discharge from the hospital.
The Ridgefield Police Department's Detective Division and Connecticut State Police Western District Major Crime Squad are in charge of the investigation.
"We want to reassure everyone that this was an isolated incident and there is no danger to the public," police said.
