The description provided by 17-year-old Ricardo of how he killed his 12-year-old brother and parents is chilling, in a family tragedy that has shaken Italy.
In his confession before being remanded in custody, the 17-year-old began to recount the events:
“The first one I had to kill was my brother. He was in bed, turned to the left side facing the window. With the first stab to his neck, he woke up and cried ‘Dad.’ I covered his mouth and kept stabbing him,” Ricardo continued.
He then explained that his next move was to go to his parent’s room: “They turned on the light, I stood before them with the knife in my hand, they told me to stay calm. They entered the room with me, and I attacked them.”
He first killed his mother, followed by his father, who was stabbed when he turned his back to check on what had happened to the other child.
“I stabbed him in the neck because he was in pain.”
Continuing with a description that revealed his utter confusion about what he had done, the 17-year-old explained that since his father was “gasping” from the neck wounds, “I stabbed him in the neck again because he was in pain. I also stabbed my mother again because I didn’t want her to suffer anymore.”
After killing his parents and brother, the 17-year-old told the police he hid the knife under his pillow. Although his first thought was to go downstairs and call for help, he eventually returned to the room and closed their eyes.
Regarding the knife he used for the total of 68 stabbings inflicted on his family, he explained that he held it with a cloth he had cut from a black short-sleeved shirt, explaining, “That way, I would clean it and put the blame on others.”
He even clarified that although he initially considered blaming his mother, he ultimately decided to “point” at his father, a version that never convinced the police, as the young killer had no signs of a struggle.
“I thought about killing them a day earlier, but I wasn’t in the mood.”
Ricardo reportedly also told police that he had originally intended to kill his family the night before the murders, “but I wasn’t in the mood. I kept thinking about it for the next few hours until I snapped.”
Despite the 17-year-old’s claims, the judge who ordered his pretrial detention spoke of “unparalleled brutality and rage towards the victims” and emphasized the premeditation of the minor.
