A 31-year-old man in Ridgefield, Connecticut, US, allegedly killed his 83-year-old father and removed his organs. The crime, described by the man’s lawyer as a “tragedy of Shakespearean dimensions”, was the first murder in the town in 20 years.
Steven James Uricchio, 31, was arrested Saturday morning after police received a call from him saying he had harmed his father.
When officers arrived at the Ridgefield home about 1 a.m., they found Uricchio outside with his hands up and appearing disoriented.
He had blood on his hands and was sweating profusely, the New York Post reports.
According to the report, Uricchio told police officers he had killed his father and that he had done the act “very badly.”
Inside the home, police found blood stains on the stairs and walls, as well as a blood-stained knife.
The body of 83-year-old Mark Uricchio, the man’s father, was found in his bedroom, badly mutilated and with some of his internal organs exposed.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The incident marks Ridgefield’s first homicide since 2003.
“This is a very safe community. This murder has shaken the entire city,” Police Capt. Jeffrey Raines said.
He was handcuffed and placed on a stretcher and taken to a local hospital for medical evaluation.
Uricchio said he had not taken his prescribed medication in a month and regularly smoked marijuana.
After being released from the hospital, he was placed on suicide watch at Ridgefield Police Headquarters.
Uricchio appeared nearly unconscious in court Monday and needed help to stand.
His lawyer Willie Dow said Uricchio suffers from serious mental health problems and called the case a “tragedy of Shakespearean dimensions”.
The court ordered a mental health evaluation and continued suicide watch.
Uricchio’s bail has been set at $1.5 million, and he will appear in court again on Sept. 4.