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A 31-year-old man has been charged with murder in the “brutal” killing of his father, a case that has shocked one of America’s oldest and safest cities.
Steven James Uricchio, of Ridgefield, Connecticut, was arrested and charged with murder on Saturday after police responded to a domestic violence incident and found Uricchio’s father dead in his home. The suspect was held over the weekend on $1.5 million bail and pleaded not guilty during a court appearance on Monday, online records show.
Ridgefield police identified the victim as the suspect’s 83-year-old father, Mark Joel Uricchio. According to a police report, the victim was found with slashes in his face, abdomen and groin area, and his internal organs were found outside his body. Obtained by local news outlet The Hour.
Danbury State’s Attorney David Applegate described the crime as “brutal” during the arraignment hearing but did not provide any further details, The Hour reported.
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Steven James Uricchio was arrested and charged with murder after his 83-year-old father was found dead on Saturday. (Ridgefield Police Department)
Attorney Willie Dow said he had “limited” communication with his client and expressed concern about defendant Steven Uricchio’s mental state. According to reports, Dow requested that he remain on suicide watch because the case involves a “history of significant mental illness.”
During the hearing, Uricchio leaned over a table in the courtroom and rested his head on it. He refused to stand up despite orders from Superior Court Judge Thomas Sardy. Court bailiffs eventually helped him to his feet, according to The Hour.
The judge reportedly ordered a competency evaluation to determine whether Uricchio is fit to stand trial.
Uricchio’s next court appearance is on September 4th.
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Police responded to a report of a domestic violence incident at the residence around 1 a.m. Saturday. (Google Maps)
The details of the crime, as outlined in the police report, are horrifying: According to the police report reviewed by The Hour, Ridgefield police received a domestic violence call at 1 a.m. Saturday on Powerderhorn Drive, where the caller claimed to have hurt her father.
When officers arrived at the home, they found Uricchio wearing a navy blue T-shirt and boxer shorts with his hands up, and they instructed him to move toward them with his arms outstretched, according to the report.
When Uricchio reached the edge of the cement walkway leading to the front door, officers had him lie face down with his arms outstretched, The Hour reported. Uricchio was asked if he had a weapon, and police reported he was sweating profusely and appeared to have blood on his hands.
Officers then asked Uricchio what he had done to his father, to which he replied, “I killed him,” and then added after a short pause, “I treated him really badly,” according to police.
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Police handcuffed Uricchio and asked him where his father was, to which he replied that his father was in a second-floor bedroom, police said.
Officers then entered the home to investigate. The Hour reports that the police report stated that officers observed blood droplets on the stairs and blood stains on both sides of the wall. Officers also found a bloody fillet knife at the top of the stairs, according to the report.
Police said Mark Uricchio was found lying on the ground in his bedroom facing the front door. He had been dismembered and some of his organs were found outside his body. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene, police said.
Steven Uricchio was taken into custody and charged with murder.
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The shocking crime is the first homicide reported in Ridgefield since 2003, police Lt. Jeffrey Raines said. He told The New Times.
Raines said a murder like this “shakes the town,” but added, “This is a very safe area.”
Founded in 1709, Ridgefield was named the safest city in America last year by Neighborhood Scout, with a crime rate of 1.9 crimes per 1,000 residents. The city reported a 1 in 510 chance of being a victim.
After his arrest, Uricchio told police he had been feeling sick to his stomach after drinking a quarter of a bottle of Advil.
Police said Uricchio was taken to Danbury Hospital, where he was handcuffed to a hospital bed while medical staff evaluated him.
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According to The Hour, the suspect told doctors he had not taken his prescribed medication for “a month or two” and that he occasionally used cannabis.
He was released from hospital and remanded into police custody.
The Ridgefield Police Department’s Criminal Division and the Connecticut State Police Western District Major Crimes Unit are handling the investigation.
“We would like to reassure everyone that this is an isolated incident and there is no danger to the public,” police said.
