Mr Bean
Connie Navarro and her friend Sue Jory were gunned down in Navarro’s West Los Angeles condo in 1983. The suspect was her ex-boyfriend,
bodybuilder John Riccardi. John disappeared the day after the murders and went into hiding for the next eight years. He wouldn’t be located until he was featured on a segment of America’s Most Wanted.
Viewers of the show were able to provide tips that eventually led authorities to a condo in Houston. Riccardi had apparently been living a life of luxury and was supporting
that lifestyle by committing burglaries. Money, jewels, and other items were found upon his capture.Although he denied harassing Navarro after their breakup or having anything
to do with her death, witnesses testified that Riccardi became increasingly malicious toward her.
He was ultimately found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. That sentence would eventually be overturned by the Supreme Court of California and changed to life in prison with no chance of parole.[1]Another casualty in this crime was Connie Navarro’s then-15-year-old son,
David Navarro. He stated that Riccardi broke into their home a week before the murders occurred, pointed a gun at him, and handcuffed him. Fortunately for David, he was staying with his father the night that the murders took place. He believed that he would have been a victim as well if he had been at home that evening. David would later come to be known as Dave Navarro, guitarist and member of the rock band Jane’s Addiction.
He would also tour with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He is currently host of the popular television show Ink Master. Dave feared for his own life in the years before Riccardi was captured and felt like his fame would make it easy for his mother’s murderer to find him. He also said that at one time, he used heroin as a way to numb the pain from his mother’s death.In search of further healing, Dave produced a film about the whole experience called Mourning Son. He was quoted as saying, “One of the ways in which trauma survivors get past trauma is to walk through the ugliness.” During his work on the film, he chose to visit Riccardi in prison. While he expected that he would feel anger at the man who took his mother’s life, he realized, “He’s just some old dude, dying in jail.”
