Father who killed his own son, 3, by driving into truck
Marco, 28, attacked ex-partner with knife, coroner told
‘He had that glazed look’ ‘Alex said, “Don’t hurt Mammy”’
THE mother of a threeyear-old boy killed by his father told how he attacked her with a knife before walking out of her home with their son.
Alex Velocci was seen sitting on his father’s lap Marco Velocci, 28, as their car ‘veered’ into the path of an oncoming truck in a head-on collision in which the father and son died instantly, Limerick Coroner’s Court heard.
The little boy’s devastated mother Josephine Power broke down in tears as her deposition was read to the court.
The mother-of-two described in chilling detail, how, prior to taking their son in his car, Mr Velocci ‘attacked’ her with a knife in her kitchen as she prepared breakfast on July 19, 2016.
‘I looked up at Marco,’ she said. ‘He had that glazed look. He had a knife in his hand. I can’t explain it but Marco looked different. It was like he was looking through me again.’
‘I knew straight away it was bad,’ Ms Power said.
‘The knife was red and Marco had it in his right hand. Marco immediately attacked me.
‘There was a struggle between us. I ended up on the floor. Everything was happening so fast.’
Wedged between the fridge and kitchen table she said she ‘tried to push Marco back’.
‘I kept saying, “Marco, the kids, the kids”. Marco said nothing.’
Ms Power said she managed to disarm Mr Velocci while he held the knife to her throat.
The heartbroken mother said: ‘I do remember Alex saying, “Daddy, don’t hurt Mammy”.’
In a state of shock, stabbed, beaten, and lying exhausted on the floor, Ms Power said she could only look on as Mr Velocci ‘walked away’ with their young son.
She telephoned emergency services and contacted Mr Velocci’s mother Joan, to tell her what happened.
‘There was blood dripping from my side…I knew something was wrong with my right arm.’
Ms Power was rushed by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick where she was told later that afternoon her beloved Alex and ex-partner were dead.
Noelle Heffernan, from Dundrum, Co. Tipperary, who had been in relationship with Mr Velocci after he and Ms Power separated, said Mr Velocci told her he wanted to return to the relationship with Ms Power.
Moments before Mr Velocci’s car collided with the truck, he telephoned Ms Heffernan. He told her he had stabbed Ms Power, the court heard.
There were a number of warning signs relating to Mr Velocci’s behaviour, in the weeks and days leading up to the tragedy, it was heard.
The former labourer and qualified carpenter had begun to suffer ‘panic attacks’, and became increasingly paranoid about ‘Muslims taking over the world’.
He told loved ones he feared Muslims were monitoring his phone calls and that Muslims wanted to ‘poison’ his family’s food.
It was heard that he wanted get back into a full-time relationship with Ms Power and their son Alex. Despite being separated Mr Velocci and Ms Power had remained on good terms for the sake of their son.
In the days prior to the tragedy they had talked about possibly living together again.
Ms Power said she had asked her son Alex what he thought about his parents getting back together, and that he had replied, ‘Happy, happy happy’.
Joan Velocci described her son as ‘hardworking’ and ‘loyal’. She said her son and Ms Power had been ‘childhood sweethearts’.
Coroner John McNamara said there was no evidence that either Mr Velocci or his son had died accidentally.
He directed the only verdicts open to the jury, in respect of Alex Velocci was, either, one of ‘unlawful killing’, or an ‘open verdict’.
A jury at the joint inquest returned a unanimous verdict of ‘unlawful killing’ in respect of Alex Velocci.
The jury reached a unanimous verdict of ‘suicide’ in respect of Alex’s father, Marco Velocci.