Competency evaluation completed on Ridgefield man charged with killing father

"

A competency evaluation has been completed on a Ridgefield man accused of brutally killing his father and confessing to it, according to attorneys in the case. Steven Uricchio, 31, was set to appear in Danbury Superior Court Wednesday morning, but wasn’t transported from Garner Correctional Institution, where he's being held. A brief hearing without Uricchio still happened, during which both sides said they’ve received the report on Uricchio’s competency review, which was ordered at his arraignment one month ago. Uricchio spent much of that initial court appearance slumped over the defense table despite repeated requests from the judge to standup. That behavior led both the Danbury State’s Attorney and Uricchio’s attorney at the time to request a competency evaluation. Attorney William Dow told the court his client had a significant mental health history. But Wednesday morning, a new attorney appeared on Uricchio’s behalf. Public defender Thomas Leaf told the judge his office has filed to represent Uricchio moving forward. Leaf said he just got his hands on the competency report and requested a hearing on it for Sept. 11, which the judge granted. Uricchio is charged with murder in the stabbing death of 83-year-old Marc Uricchio. Ridgefield police responded to Uricchio's home on Powderhorn Drive on Aug. 3 around 1 a.m. Saturday for what they called a domestic violence incident. Court documents obtained by News 12 show Uricchio called police and reported he’d hurt his father. When police arrived, "Uricchio stated, 'I murdered him.' Uricchio then paused and stated, 'really, really badly,'" according to the arraignment report and affidavit. Police said they found blood on the stairs and wall before discovering Uricchio’s father dead on the floor in an upstairs bedroom. "The victim's face, lower torso/abdomen, and groin were mutilated. What appeared to be internal organs from the above-mentioned areas were on the outside of the body," the report said. A filet-style knife, with blood on the blade, was found nearby, according to the report. Police said Uricchio was taken into custody without incident. It marked the first homicide in Ridgefield since 2003. Capt. Jeff Raines called the crime “a very tragic incident that would shock any community.” "