‘Demon seed’ who killed parents gets max
A “DEMON SEED” who murdered his parents was sentenced Tuesday to the maximum sentence of 50 years to life in prison by a Queens judge.
“Your mother, the woman who pushed and squeezed with all she could in order to give you life, and in return you choked and squeezed the life out of her as she struggled for her life,” said an outraged Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder before sentencing an unapologetic Gregory Cucchiara.
Cucchiara, 40, represented himself at trial and was quickly convicted by a jury for murdering his mother, Josephine, in May 2011 and his father, Carmelo, in August 2012.
“After Mom died, we were all on guard at all times. My dad did his best to keep us away from Greg,” said Cucchiara’s sister Francesca Ciaccio during her tearful victim impact statement.
Cucchiara had been charged with beating and drowning Josephine, 66, and smothering Carmelo, 75, with a pillow.
At trial, Cucchiara insisted his mom’s death was accidental and two mystery suspects killed his dad.
Prosecutors had argued that Cucchiara was a drug addict who killed his parents for money. DNA evidence connected him to both murders.
“You murdered Mommy. You murdered Daddy. You did! You alone. They never abandoned you. Daddy supported you even when he knew you killed Mommy,” said Ciaccio.
Cucchiara, who fired four attorneys before deciding to represent himself, bizarrely mentioned his ex-girlfriend during closing arguments and that her parents are dead as a link to the powers of “goofer dust.”
“My suggestion is the authori- ties probably need to make sure that there is nothing unusual about that situation,” the judge said.
Before Cucchiara was sentenced, Holder said, “I’m convinced that you are definitely the demon seed, clearly born into the wrong family. For in you resides an evil that has existed for years. It is an evil that has allowed you to undertake an unimaginable crime and then act as though things are OK.”
Holder added: “For me, once again . . . I find myself at a point where I’m limited in the sentencing options. . . . I would love my sentence to forbid you from physical contact with any person . . . in order to prevent the possibility of you making another you.”
“This was a heinous case of cold-blooded murder and the ultimate betrayal of family trust,” said District Attorney Richard Brown. “These senseless, violent crimes more than justify the sentence imposed today by the court.”