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Crime: S.C. Jeweler And Son Kill Their Wives; Rooftop Thief Nabbed After $82K Jewelry Heist April 26, 2017 (3 comments)
Bad Blood Diamonds: Father And Son Jewelers Both Kill Their Wives
North Charleston, SC—One year ago, jeweler Michael Colucci, former owner of Colucci’s Jewelry Factory in Summerville, SC, was charged with murder in the 2015 strangulation death of his wife, Sara. Last week his stepfather, Ivo Colucci (left), owner of Colucci’s Jewelers, was arrested after shooting and killing his wife, Doris, in the family’s store—and in front of the couple’s 12-year-old granddaughter. Doris Colucci was 74. The incident was caught on the store’s surveillance system.
The elder Coluccis’ marriage was troubled for some time, say news reports. Store employees were frequent witnesses to intensive arguments between the two; about money, Ivo Colucci’s mental health, and their son’s murder case. Ivo Colucci, 81, has dementia. Employees told police his behavior had been spiraling downward for the past year, which is potentially why Doris Colucci sought control of the millionaire couple’s assets. Using a .380 caliber pistol, Colucci shot her in the head, then gave multiple reasons to justify his actions.
While Colucci reportedly was unwilling to acknowledge his declining mental state, his lawyers are planning to use it to see if he is competent to stand trial. At press time, he remained in jail. Michael Colucci remains under house arrest. Doris’s biological son, he took his stepfather’s name when she married Ivo Colucci.
A third generation family member, Vincent Colucci, is reportedly keeping the store open this week for customers to retrieve items, after which it will close permanently.
Top image: postandcourier.com
Rooftop Catburglars Nabbed; Stole $82,000 In Jewelry
Norristown, PA—A 17-year-old wearing Vans sneakers was discovered to be the rooftop catburglar responsible for a string of thefts across Montgomery County, PA over the winter. Among the nighttime burglaries was an incident at the Costco store in King of Prussia, PA, in which $82,000 worth of jewelry was stolen from the store’s showcases overnight.
Main Line Media News says the suspect, believed to be a Guatemalan national, worked in tandem with Jose Martin Vanegas, 44, of Malvern, PA. Vanegas, who owns a landscaping business in Perkiomenville, PA, allegedly acted as the lookout while the juvenile scaled the roofs of at least four food and beer markets in addition to the Costco store, which he entered by rappelling 40 feet down through the roof.
Jose Vanegas, allegedly the lookout for the rooftop burglaries. Image: Main Line Media News
Signature tread marks from his Vans sneakers were identified at the various crime scenes, and surveillance video from at least one crime scene showed the sneakers, which had a distinctive lacing pattern.
In March, the suspect was arrested on an unrelated drug paraphernalia and disorderly conduct charge. The sneakers he was wearing at the time led police to crack the catburglary cases, as they bore the same imprint as the crime scenes’ footprints and had the same distinctive lacing pattern as the ones in the crime scene videos.
At press time, authorities had not revealed whether the jewelry or any other stolen items had been recovered. Read more here.