A Connecticut man has confessed to murdering his elderly father earlier this month in a particularly disturbing manner, according to authorities.
Steven James Uricchio, 31, faces a class A felony charge of murder, jail records show. In Connecticut, capital murder is reserved for a limited number of serious offenses, and Uricchio could be sentenced to 25 to 60 years in prison.
Police report that Uricchio killed his father over the weekend during a domestic violence incident and then called 911 to confess.
At around 1 a.m. on Saturday, police arrived at 27 Powderhorn Drive in Ridgefield, a town near the New York State border in the Berkshire Mountains.
Inside the home, officers found Marc Uricchio, 83, and paramedics declared him dead at the scene.
An initial press release described the scene as a “domestic incident,” noting that an elderly male was deceased, according to Ridgefield Police Department spokesperson Jeff Raines.
When Uricchio appeared in court on Monday, a police report revealed more gruesome details of the crime.
“Uricchio stated, ‘I murdered him.’ Uricchio then added, ‘really, really badly,’” the arraignment report and affidavit obtained by News 12 Connecticut revealed.
Officers found Uricchio outside the house with his hands raised, according to a report from The Hour. He was sweating heavily and appeared to have blood on his hands. He then directed police to his father’s location, with drops of blood leading the way.
Marc Uricchio was discovered in his upstairs bedroom, lying on the floor facing the doorway. Blood covered both sides of the wall, and a bloody fish filleting knife was found outside the bedroom door at the top of the stairs.
The brutal nature of the crime became evident as police described the victim’s face, lower torso, and groin as mutilated, with internal organs from those areas found outside the body.
Uricchio was arrested and charged without incident. During his arraignment, he did not enter a plea and had to be carried into the courtroom, according to News 12 Connecticut. Once seated, he slumped forward over the defense table, as reported by The News-Times.
“Mr. Uricchio, [I] ask you to please stand up. Mr. Uricchio please stand up,” Superior Court Judge Thomas Saadi urged.
Both the prosecution and defense requested a competency evaluation. Defense attorney William Dow mentioned a significant mental health history, and the judge approved the request.
Police allege Uricchio had been hospitalized over the weekend for stomach issues and had not taken his prescribed medication for “a month or two,” admitting to occasional marijuana use.
Following the hearing, Dow described the case as a “tragedy of Shakespearean dimensions” and noted the devastating impact on both the family and his client.
Steven Uricchio is scheduled to return to court on September 4.