Man planned to kill family, friends say

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FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., May 3 (UPI) -- Friends of a Michigan man accused of killing his father and severely injuring his mother and brother say he often talked of killing people for drug money.

Tucker Cipriano, 19, along with a friend -- Mitchell Young, 20 -- are charged with first-degree murder and other counts for the April 16 killing of Cipriano's father, Robert Cipriano, 52, and severe injury of Rosemary, 51, and Salvatore, 17, The Detroit News reported.

Cipriano and Young met a few months prior to the attack while living on the streets. Both men had been kicked out of their families' homes.

Police reports state the two broke into the Ciprianos' Farmington Hills home late April 15 and stole a credit card to buy Spice, a synthetic form of marijuana. When the card was declined as the two tried to use it a second time, they returned to the Cipriano house to steal more money, police said.

When Tucker Cipriano and Young broke into the house early April 16, the family's dog barked, waking up the family. The two suspects gave differing accounts of what happened next, but the police reports state the two attacked the family with aluminum baseball bats.

Robert Cipriano died during the attack and Rosemary and Salvatore Cipriano were severely injured.

Tucker Cipriano's 8-year-old sister, Isabella and Salvatore's twin brother, Tanner, were uninjured in the attack. Tanner Cipriano called police while hiding under his bed, the Detroit Free Press reported.

Ian Zinderman, who was with Cipriano and Young earlier on April 15, said Cipriano talked about killing his family. Zinderman, who will likely testify for the prosecution, told police Cipriano discussed how to dispose of his family's bodies "by weighing them down with barrels and putting them in the Detroit River."

Another friend told police Cipriano said "he would beat someone to death or he would chop them up and feed them to the person's family."

The two suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges against them and are scheduled to appear in Farmington Hills District Court for a preliminary exam May 23.