Drugs, Jealousy, and Murder – The Case of Tucker Cipriano

**Episode Transcription

Welcome everyone! Welcome to a new episode of Love and Murder – the weekly true crime podcast discussing relationships gone terribly wrong. Where our motto is, you’re either someone’s last love or their first murder.

I am your host Ky and in today’s episode we’re discussing a case of delusions of grandeur and the horrific beating of an entire family.

Before we begin, I want to say that this episode, as usual, is sponsored by my LaMs in Patreon. As always, I want to thank you for continuously believing in me and thank you for your donations.

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The Cipriano family looked like what they call an All-American Family, the type of family they show on TV and some people wish they had. Bob Cipriano, father and husband was 52 years old at the time of this case and was a school administrator for a public school. Rose Cipriano, 51, wife and mother, was a homemaker – which is a full time job all its own – and was a fitness instructor. Bob and Rosa were devoted to their marriage and 4 kids; they all lived in a wealthy community of Farmington Hills which is right outside of Detroit Michigan. Everything was what some may call “picture perfect” with nothing big and eventful to report.

That is, until the morning of April 16, 2012

On that morning, 2 people broke into their house and beat Bob with a baseball bat. They then found Rose and severely beat her’ that’s when son Salvatore ran into the room and gets brutally beaten too. Daughter Isabella witnesses the horrible act and son, Tanner, hides in a closet and calls 911.

By the time police arrive, Bob had drowned in a pool of his own blood, Salvatore and Rose are barely alive. They rush them to the hospital and begin their investigation. By all accounts, it appears to be a robbery gone wrong, but they still needed to find out who would do something so insanely horrible to this wonderful family.

On April 9, 1993, Bob and Rose adopted a 4 days old boy who they named Tucker Cipriano. Tucker’s mother had abandoned him and this became a point of contention in Tucker’s life as he grew up. On year after adopting Tucker, Rose gave birth to twins Salvatore and Tanner. Finally, finishing out the clan of kids is their one girl, Isabella. It was exactly what they wanted and although Tucker was adopted, they never treated him any differently to their kids.

When Tucker was in second grade, he was treated for some learning disabilities including ADHD. When he got into his teenage years, he started hanging with the wrong crowd and doing somethings that Rose and Bob didn’t agree with like drinking and doing drugs. Once he started doing this, his life stated taking a downward turn.

Rose, who was such a good mother and tried to help her adopted son that she went to classes for substance abuse trying to understand what Tucker was going through.

In 2011, Tucker ended up being arrested for possession of cocaine. In 2012, he was placed on probation for this offence.

While on probation, he started taking another drug, K2 (or spice as some other people call it). Spice was usually sold at gas stations and it’s a synthetic form of marijuana which contains deadly chemicals like JWH-018 and JWH-073. Most people say they do K2 because it’s cheaper and more accessible. It also doesn’t show up on drug tests back then and, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, it still doesn’t. Side effects of taking K2 include, nausea, seizures, vomiting, hallucinations, increased heart rate, dizziness, and red eyes. The effects of this drug is so much more dangerous and damaging to the body and mind than marijuana. However, I guess although you can die from this, I guess Tucker was more worried about it not showing up on his random drug tests for his probation.

In the last week of March 2012, Tucker and his friend Ian Zinderman met and became friends with Mitchell Young. At the time Mitchell was homeless and living out of his truck; although he did have a job. Previously, his mother had kicked him out of the house because he hadn’t shown her that he was trying to go to college. While he was out of the house, he was in the process of enrolling into the MIAT College of Technology and was trying to figure out how to pay for that.

In early April, Tucker started becoming paranoid about being arrested again for probation violation. He figured out a plan to cross the border into Mexico to escape probation. However, he needed money to do that. Tucker and Mitchell then sat down and made a plan to break into someone’s house, rob them and then kill them. I mean, when I needed money when I was younger, I usually just got 2 to 3 jobs and stringently saved in order to hit my money goals. To me that makes sense. Anyway, they wanted to get $3000 – yes they were going to kill people for $3000 – and they would SPLIT IT UP – so basically killing people for $1000 each – and then move to Mexico. Now, let’s sit down and think about this logic. #1 plan to break into people’s house. In that time you take to plan, you could have been looking for a small part time job or starting a side business – mow lawns whatever. #2 You’re only looking for $3000 which will be $1000 each. #3 You’re going to move to Mexico on $1000. How long do you think that money is going to last? $1000 to move and start a new life? The logic isn’t logicing at all.

Ian was the only one with some sense and said he would not be involved in any murder.

So on the evening of April 15, the three young men decided to break into Tucker’s parents’ home to get some debit cards and go buy some K2. Man, their plan is getting better and better. Mitchell drove them to the house and Ian and Tanner went into the garage – Ian gave Tanner a boost to get into the garage window. In one of the cars he found a Dearborn Federal Credit Union card. They nabbed that and left. They drove to a Valero station and tried to take out $100 from an ATM but couldn’t. I mean, did Tucker know the card code? I mean, how many people

I mean, how many people know their parent’s debit card code? Planning isn’t a strong suite I see. Anyway, so they moved on and was able to successfully buy K2 instead. Score I guess? And then Mitchell filled up his gas tank. They then drove 9 miles north, closer to where Tucker’s girlfriend lived, and stopped at a Mobil gas station and tried the card again.

They then went back to Tucker’s house planning another burglary, and that’s when Bob saw them and was attacked.

When police got there, as I said, Bob had died and Rosa and Salvatore were gravely injured. Isabella and Tanner were unharmed.

Police found a blood-soaked Mitchell at the house, but no one else but the Cipriano family.

Officer Eric Buckberry is the one responsible for cuffing Mitchell, “I got him on the ground [and another officer] puts handcuffs on [Young]. He had blood in his hands, on the front of his shirt, things like that.”

He also said that Mitchell was crying and shaking and hysterical.

However, Tucker was missing.

Police went in search of him and arrested him.

At the police station, in video arraignments, Mitchell cried throughout his interrogation, but Tucker was calm and collected. During the questioning, both men blamed each other.

Police told them that based on evidence, they were charged with murder. They both plead not guilty and blamed each other for the events of the night. Sargent Richard Wehby spoke with Mitchel who told him that Tucker was the attacker. He said that Tucker “went crazy” and killed his father, beat his brother, and then hit him. He said he had no part of the attack at all. He also continuously asked if he was in trouble.

The problem with Mitchell’s story is that it had a lot of inconsistencies in it and it kept changing especially when officers told him the Isabella told them that she’d seen Mitchell helping attack her family. That’s when Mitchell changed his story,

“The story changed… on who drove to the scene, how they made entry into the residence, bits and pieces that were never mentioned.”

It was then that he also told them that the attack Isabella probably saw was when he hit Rose only “one or two time” in her head with one of the bats.

“I did not go to the Cipriano household intending to hurt anyone. I didn’t go there intending to hurt anyone, let alone to kill someone.”

Tucker, on the other hand, told Sgt Wehby that it was Mitchell who beat both of his parents.

“He stated he held him from behind and Roderick was hitting him in the head with a baseball bat. His words were ‘a lot.'” Detective Jason McDonald is quoted as saying.

He did, however, admit that it was him who attacked his younger brother, Salvatore, but when Isabella came downstairs, he tried to save her and get her away from Mitchell.

“He was pleading with her to stay in her room because he didn’t want anything bad happening to his sister. She was stating, ‘I thought you loved me. I thought you loved me.’ And his response to that was he was telling her that he did love her, and to please stay in the room. Roderick (who is Mitchell) had his sister Isabella and the doorbell rang, she ran to the door, breaking away from Roderick, and it was the police, and at that point is when he said he ran out the back.”

Based on their stories, there WAS a robbery, but they blamed each other for who committed the murders.

Police had also scooped up Ian who sang like a bird telling them, “It was decided that Tucker was going to go after his two brothers and Roderick was going to go after the mom and the dad.” He also agreed to a plea deal with them; he would testify in exchange for his immunity. Because he didn’t participate in the murder and had even asked to be dropped off and out of the plans before they got to Tucker’s house, Investigators agreed with his terms.

“Roderick was supposed to go for the sister, from what I understand,” said Ian.

What happened at the end of the investigation was that detectives concluded that, due to the blood splatter on his pants, it was Mitchell who killed Robert. The blood splatter was on the lower part of his pants which told investigators that he’d been standing directly over Bob while he was being beaten to death. Logically, the only people who could have gotten this exact splatter were the ones inflicting the blows. None of Bob’s blood had been found on Tucker’s pants.

“Tucker Cipriano did not beat Robert Cipriano; Mitchell Young “intended to kill, that was the plan… he’s even beating the people he was assigned to kill.”

By the way, I have video of Tucker’s interrogation, pictures, and more for this case and all the other cases in the Patreon group. Speaking of which, let me give you your weekly reminder to subscribe to Love and Murder so you don’t miss a case and also join us over here in Patreon and get these extras as well as bonus episodes. www.patreon.com/loveandmurder Once you subscribe you get access to all of the back catalog of extras. We have plans starting at $3/month donation from you. You’d also be a sponsor of the podcast and have my gratitude www.patreon.com/loveandmurder Can’t wait to see you there!

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And now, back to the show.

During all of this Rose and Salvatore had been taken to the hospital where Dr. Eric McDowell said that Salvatore was almost dead. Doctors had to get an organ donation service to start getting some organs together for him for transport, this is how badly injured he was. Salvatore had multiple facial bone fractures, multiple skull fractures, and bleeding and swelling on his brain. Rose also had similar injuries. Dr. McDowell is quoted as saying, “This is certainly by far the worst that I’ve seen.” She was hospitalized for 3 weeks and then they released her to a rehabilitation center.

Salvatore was in critical condition, “Sal continues to display increased stability medically. It is likely that by the end of the week he will be ready to be transferred to a rehabilitation facility specializing in neuro/brain injuries.”

Tucker and Mitchell both plead not guilty to first-degree premeditated murder, 1^st degree felony murder, two counts of assault with intent to murder, and armed robbery.

Tucker’s uncle, Greg Cipriano, kept talking to him trying to get him to fess up, but he kept saying that he didn’t do anything and none of this was his fault. He didn’t want the Cipriano family to have to go to court and relive the atrocities that happened.

In a recorded conversation between Greg and Tucker, Greg continued to try and convince him:

Tucker: “I don’t see the point in doing life behind bars. I don’t see living behind bars,”

Greg: “Well if you go through this trial, your family will be traumatized,”

Tucker: “I feel disrespectful saying this but I feel like fighting for the rest of my life is the only thing I have, the only option I have left to do. Giving up is like hanging myself, Greg. That’s what it feels like to me.”

Greg: “Well, your dad paid for it with his life. And if you have any hope of redemption whatsoever of your soul you would do something about it.”

Tucker: “Don’t come at me like that.”

By the way, some of these recorded conversations are in Patreon as well as pictures of evidence, and more www.patreon.com/loveandmurder

Greg thought this was a lost cause because Tucker just kept telling him that he didn’t do anything and he could never hurt his father. However, a couple days before the trial, Greg decided to try one more time. This time he visited Tucker in jail and brought along Tanner.

“The biggest moment of your life could be right now,” Tanner said to Tucker. “What is more meaningful to me is if you, that you could take responsibility for the first time in your life, just as dad always wanted you to.”

“That opened my eyes and broke my heart. I feel like the only way that I’ll be able to express my love for the family enough, I’m taking responsibility, you know. I’m sorry for treating you the way I did, you know. I love you. Tanner, I love you so much.” Tucker said

Tanner: “I love you too. We all love you.”

When Tucker went to court he plead no contest to 1^st degree murder so that he would avoid going to trail.

“So you’re willing to accept the rest of your life in prison and take a plea?”

Tucker: “Yes sir.”

In his pre-sentencing hearing, Tucker said that he knew Tanner was hiding upstairs and that he was the one who called 911. He said that he pretended not to know so that he could protect his brother from Mitchell.

Assistant Prosecutor John Skrzynski said that Tucker was a liar and his statement showed that he still didn’t take responsibility for his actions. He said that if you read TANNER’S STATEMENT, he’d told the police that Tucker was searching throughout the house for him and even called out to Mitchell, “There’s still one more.”

Then Michael McCarthy, Mitchell’s defense attorney, tried to show the court why this probably happened. Wow – this should be good. Let’s see what he says.

He said that Tucker’s younger brothers were athletic and 6’1” as opposed to Tucker’s height of 5’7”. He was also on drugs, kicked out of the house, had learning disabilities, and had ongoing legal problems. As opposed to the scholar athletic twins. Ummm I fail to understand how this is an excuse. The parents treated them all the same and Tucker made his own decisions.

Police came forth and spoke about that night. They said that the scene was horrific with blood splattered everywhere; the fridge, ceiling, and cabinet. Damn even the ceiling?! They said that they found Salvatore laying in the landing of the stairwell of the basement. He was choking on his own blood, making gurgling sounds and barely alive. Underneath him were 2 aluminum bats.

Showing the court the crime scene photos, Attorney McCarthy said: “That’s where Salvatores head was, tucked into that corner, his legs going out in this direction and on top of those bats. I submit to you that it is not a coincidence that Salvatore is left by his brother to die in that very spot… He’s there on that landing on top of those bats right underneath all those team pictures. It’s because Tucker Cipriano is “filled with rage.”

Prosecutor Skrzynski said that the evidence speaks for itself; you can literally see what happened.

“In order to believe what he was just talking about, you would have to overlook most of the evidence” that was presented and “most of the evidence that was found on Mr. Young. Tucker Cipriano might be full of rage but Mr. Young is full of blood. And he’s full of Bob Cipriano’s blood.”

Then deputy forensic pathologist with the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office, Ruben Ortiz-Reyes, told the court graphic details from Bob’s autopsy. He told the court the Bob had been mainly beaten about the head, on the top, back, left, right and on his face. His head had severe lacerations, his skull was fractured, his mouth and nose were filled with blood, the bones were broken in small pieces, and there was extensive hemorrhaging. He also said there was one long continuous fracture on the back of the skull which is what caused the blood to go into his airway.

“His left ear was shredded.”

When he was asked if he thought the ear damage was because of the bat, he said, “Yes, it suggests one blow.”

“He drowned in his own blood. He was still breathing, still alive and the blood went into his lungs.”

He also said that Bob had defensive wounds on his hands which means that he really tried to fight for his life.

Ian’s statement of the events of the night were also entered. He said that Tucker and Mitchell decided to rob Tucker’s house and kill the family. He said that they talked about who would kill who and Tucker was supposed to kill his brothers while Mitchell was supposed to kill Tucker’s parents. Mitchell volunteered to kill Isabella, but Tucker said no, no one touches Isabella. So that’s when the group decided to rob the garage again instead of killing the family. They’d gone back to the house, got in the same way, and Rucker found a gift debit card with a sticker on it that said it had $265 on it. They took that and drove to Keego Harbor and tried to use the card. That’s when they found out it only have $2.65 on it and not $265. So they drove to a bank and tried the bank card that they had from the first garage robbery, but it had been flagged for suspicious purchases. That’s when Tucker and Mitchell went back to the original idea of murdering Tucker’s family. Ian said he wanted out because he wasn’t murdering anyone or even being in the vicinity of a murder. So he was dropped off and they continued on with their night.

Now the rest of the story comes from evidence, Tucker, and Mitchell’s interrogation.

Around 1:45am they dropped Ian at Tucker’s girlfriend’s house in Keego Harbor. Tucker and Mitchel went to Tucker’s house around 2:30am. This time they brought knives because they were going to stab the family in their sleep. Mitchell gave Tucker a boost into the garage where he picked up a bat and opened the door for Mitchell. That’s when Emmy, the family’s dog started barking. Good dog. Just what you are supposed to do; guard your family from people who want to harm them. This woke up the family and Bob came down in his boxers and told them to leave. That’s when Tucker started hitting him with the bat. Allegedly, and according to Mitchell, Mitchell said,

“What are you doing?”

Tucker said, “Join this, or you will join them.” According to Mitchell, that’s when Tucker gave him the bat and told him to kill Bob while Tucker held him down. Now, like I said this part was coming from Mitchell so take that with a grain of salt.

Rosa came down and saw the attack. She started pleading with Tucker to stop. Tucker allegedly told Mitchell to “keep his mother quiet” and then hit her in the head. That’s when Isabella came downstairs with the other bat to give to her mother so that she could defend herself. Yes lil girl! That’s right! However, it backfired and Mitchell took the back from Rose and started beating her with it. I hope Isabella isn’t blaming herself for that. Isabella, you were a hero. You were trying to help your mom. I’m proud of you. None of this was your fault. At this time, Tucker told Isabella to go back upstairs because he didn’t want her to get hurt or killed. He took her upstairs. That’s when Tanner ran, hid and called 911 while Salvatore tried to stop Tucker and Mitchell with his pellet gun. He was overpowered by the two and beaten with the bat and the gun.

When police arrived, Tucker ran out of the back door and drove to his girlfriend’s house. He then told Ian to get rid of the truck, but police found Ian before that was able to happen. A few hours later is when they found Tucker.

Oakland County Judge Shalina Kumar said that they understood that Tucker had a difficult life – which he actually didn’t – but I guess being abandoned by your parents at 4 days old and not remembering anything about it and being raised by a wonderful family constitutes a hard life. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that he may have felt some type of way because of the abandonment; he may want answers and stuff, but that doesn’t constitute “a hard life.”

Anyway Judge Kumar said, “Others fight through. With all the support you had, and all the love you had, you threw it away.”

During sentencing, Tuckers family didn’t attend but some extended family did.

Tucker, now 20, admitted to murdering his father and severely hurting his brother and mom. He said,

“I stand before the people of the court, the media, my family and friends, but mostly God, asking forgiveness and confessing my sins.” He said that Bob was “a great dad” and Rose was “an amazing mom” and he told a story of how, on the very first day of his school life he’d refused to let go of his mom’s hand.

“Mom, I wish I would have never let go.”

He finished by saying that he loved his father and he hoped pleading guilty is what his father would have “wanted me to do.”

He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Mitchell, 21 at the time, wanted to prove his innocence and during his sentencing hearing, he tried to show why he thought his attorney and the court system failed him in his trial. He said that he was “a victim of a strong miscarriage of justice.” He gave a nearly 30 minute statement rattling off his points. One of those points was that he said that he told Attorney McCarthy to do a bunch of things during the trial and he didn’t. One such thing was to make an exhibit showing the jury that Ian’s testimony had discrepancies in it.

At one point, judge Kumar interrupted Mitchell to tell him that this wasn’t an appeal hearing, but Mitchell interrupted her and kept talking. To which she had to shut him up.

At the end of his statement, he got emotional and said that he had a bright future ahead of him which was now wasted because he hung out with Tucker and took drugs with him. He gave his condolences to the Cipriano family, said that he let drugs “cloud his mind and that was my downfall. You have my highest hopes, my best wishes and my prayers.” He promised that he would be appealing his sentence. Then he pretended to wipe tears from his eyes.

Prosecutor Skyzynski responded to this long ass, self-absorbing statement by saying,

“I’m horrified.” And expressed his dismay that neither of the young men would fully admit their guilt.

Judge Kumar said,

“Your absolute refusal to acknowledge any of your decisions or your activities… is really unbelievable to me. You need to take a look in the mirror… You have ruined your own life, along with the lives of the Cipriano family.”

Mitchell was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

He was led out of the courtroom while crying.

On October 28,2015, Mitchel tried to appeal but his appeal was denied and all of his convictions were upheld.

At the time of the incident, Salvatore was 17, Tanner was 17, Isabelle was 8, Rose was 51 and Bob was 52

In the aftermath, Tanner graduated from highschool as valedictorian, Salvatore was still recovering. At the time he still couldn’t speak vocally, but could through text. He was also paralyzed on the left side of his body. His mother and his family are taking care of him.

Rose said,

“Salvatore was in a walker and he had a feeding tube. He was drooling, he couldn’t use his left arm very well, and his left leg.”

In June 2021, Click on Detroit followed up with the family. Salvatore is still healing, and every year the family hosts a run to fundraise for the Cipriano Children’s Trust.

Tanner said of his twin, “To watch him over these last nine years, how much he has improved from being told that he wasn’t going to survive in the first place and now he is running and talking and doing all these great things.”

He’s still trying to rebuild his vision, learn to balance, and get back to being able to talk.

“The two biggest priorities for Sal right now. He is learning to talk again and getting control of his seizures.”

Another big accomplishment for Salvatore, he got his high school diploma in June 2021.

Isabella also graduated high school around the same time.

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