Son charged in brutal slaying of 83-Year-old father

A 31-year-old man allegedly carried out a horrific attack on his 83-year-old father in the early hours of Saturday, August 3, leaving the elderly victim's body grotesquely mutilated – a sickening crime that police say is the first murder in the community in over two decades. 

Steven James Uricchio now stands accused of murder after cops raced to the family home around 1 a.m., responding to a frantic 911 call for help, and found him outside the residence with his hands raised, wearing a bloodied shirt and boxer shorts.

When officers asked about his father, Marc Uricchio, the younger Uricchio stated, "I murdered him," then added after a pause, "really, really badly," according to the police report obtained by The Hour newspaper.  

Upon entering the residence, law enforcement officials observed blood evidence on the staircase and walls, as well as a bloodied filet knife on top of the stairs. In the bedroom, officers discovered the deceased body of Mr. Uricchio, an elderly resident. The victim's groin and abdomen were mutilated, with some of his internal organs found outside of his body. 

"It shakes the town up. This is a very safe community," Ridgefield police Capt. Jeffrey Raines told The News-Times, noting the affluent town's first homicide since 2003.

The News-Times reported that Steven Uricchio appeared "nearly catatonic" at his arraignment on Monday, August 5, in Danbury Superior Court and had to be carried into the courtroom before the judge ordered him to stand. 

Defense attorney Willie Dow cited Uricchio's "significant mental health history" and agreed to prosecution requests for a competency evaluation and mental health treatment. Uricchio is also on suicide watch.

"This is a tragedy of Shakespearean dimensions. It has devastated the family as well as my client," Dow told News 12 Connecticut. He did not immediately return a request for further comment.

Uricchio, held on $1.5 million bail, is next due in court on September 4. The motive remains under investigation in the horrific slaying that has shaken the typically quiet town.