Police arrest New Britain pair in death of 75-year-old man
Police said they have made two arrests in the killing of a 75-year-old man in Rocky Hill, and they plan to make more.
Franklyn Cruz, 42, and Madeline Dickey, 35, both of New Britain, were charged with murder and robbery in the death of Robert Iacobucci, state police said Tuesday. Each was in custody on $1 million bail Tuesday afternoon.
Officers discovered the 75-year-old’s body about 7:20 p.m. Monday in his house on Pondside Lane, near West Hill Elementary School, after multiple reports from a caller said a “man was tied-up at a yellow house on a cul-de-sac ... the home was burglarized, the homeowner has been assaulted and bound and individuals were stealing property from the home,” court documents show.
The caller later reported that the couple was planning to “get rid of the homeowner,” the warrant added. The attack, according to court documents, was not random and the accused were familiar with Iacobucci.
Investigators were able to track the suspects through Iacobucci’s car, which was missing from his home, state police said. It was later found in New Britain, where city officers detained Cruz and Dickey in connection with the stolen vehicle.
Iacobucci was found dead on the second floor of his home, with his hands tied behind his
back, and injuries to his head and face.
State police announced the arrests early Tuesday afternoon. Central District Major Crime detectives from the state police have taken over the investigation.
“The incident remains active and under investigation with additional arrests expected,” state police said, in a news release.
Five unmarked police cars and the Major Crime van remained at the scene late Tuesday morning, some 17 hours after Iacobucci was discovered.
Iacobucci had lived in the Dutch Colonial for decades, said neighbor Martin Loschiavo. Although he was once married, he was divorced years ago and lived alone, he said.
Loschiavo wasn’t particularly close with him, but “we were friendly with one another,” he said. They would greet each other in passing and sometimes stopped to chat.
One day a few months ago, Iacobucci’s trash barrels were out for a few days after the garbage had been collected, so Loschiavo removed them from the curb for him and knocked on his door to see if he was OK, he said. Iacobucci said he wasn’t feeling well.
On Easter Sunday, a younger woman arrived at Iacobucci’s house, he said. The woman, whoappeared to be in her 40s, went around back and apparently went in through a back door.
State court records show that a
woman named Madeline Dickey who was born in 1985 has a halfdozen convictions. In 2011, she was sentenced to four years in prison for risk of injury to a child, identity theft and other charges, the records show.
Her other convictions included larceny, disorderly conduct and failure to appear in court.
A Franklyn Cruz born in 1979 was sentenced to probation after being convicted of threatening and violation of probation in 2013, the records show.