Ridgefield man faces competency hearing in father's slaying

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A competency hearing is set for Wednesday for the Ridgefield man accused of brutally killing his father and confessing to it. Steven Uricchio, 31, is set to appear in Danbury Superior Court in the afternoon. It'll be Uricchio's first appearance since his arraignment in August, which he spent much of slumped over the defense table despite repeated requests from the judge to stand up. His 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. A brief hearing without Uricchio was held last week, during which both sides said they've received the report on Uricchio's competency review , which will determine if he can stand trial. Uricchio is now being represented by public defender Thomas Leaf, who said the mental health professional who did the evaluation will be at the hearing Wednesday. 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." "