DETROIT – A 19-year-old man has been charged with murder in a violent beating that left his father dead and two other family members seriously hurt.
Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper said Tucker Cipriano and 20-year-old Mitchell Young are each charged with first-degree murder and first-degree felony murder for the April 16 incident at Cipriano's Farmington Hills home. They are also charged with assault with intent to murder and armed robbery.
--Tucker Cipriano
Through a fury of tears, 20-year-old Young, said he "didn't do any of this."
--Mitchell Young
Watch: Uncut: Arraignment of Mitchell Young
Christina Frederick said she provided a home for Tucker after he was kicked out of the Cipriano's home.
"Tucker's real mom just died, and that's when he went off the deep end," she said.
Family attacked in their home
Tucker Cipriano was arrested Monday, a few hours after his father, Robert Cipriano, was beaten to death with a baseball bat. The victim's wife, Rose, and 17-year-old son Sal were critically injured. Two other children were not physically harmed.
Police say Tucker broke into his parents' Farmington Hills home early Monday morning along with his friend. They planned to rob the place.
When Bob Cipriano found his eldest son at the home, a fight ensued. The 52-year-old father was beaten to death. His wife Rose and 17-year-old son Sal were severely beaten, too.
Tucker Cipriano had multiple prior drug convictions and was on probation. His probation officer has been suspended while the Michigan Department of Corrections investigates whether its policies were followed.
Tucker had failed to show up for his April 5 meeting with his parole agent.
Community pours out support
The outpouring for the family, whether it's at St. Fabian Catholic Church where the Ciprianos worship, at Detroit Catholic Central High School, where Sal and Tanner Cipriano are juniors, or the Dearborn School District where Bob was the public services director, has been appreciated at such an awful time for the family and community.
The Cipriano family issued the following statement on Tuesday:
The Cipriano and Trahan families wish to express our heartfelt appreciation for the community of support, love and prayers that have been so present in our lives these past two days. We are a large family and are gathering from all over the country to be here to support Rose and Salvatore As we work to cope with the reality that in an instant changed all of our lives, we are grateful for the compassion and competence that we have experienced in working with the Farmington Hills Police Department. Botsford Hospital has provided excellent medical care for our family, kept us informed and has answered any and all of our questions.
At this time while we recognize the concern of the public we ask that you recognize and respect our need for privacy.
Updates will be managed through the Community Relations department of Botsford Hospital. We will be in contact with them on a regular basis and have requested that they manage all inquiries.
Our family members continue to be in critical condition. We continue to pray for their recovery and welcome your thoughts and prayers as well. Thank you.