Jane’s Addiction’s, David Michael Navarro was the only son of Constance Colleen (nee Hopkins) and James Raul “Mike” Navarro. When Dave was 7, his parents divorced and he moved with Constance to live in Bel Air. Occasionally he would travel to visit family in Texas and Dave had designated days he would spend with his father, per the custody arrangement.  Things changed dramatically for then 15 year old Dave on March 3, 1983, while he was staying at his father’s house, his mother Constance and a close friend were murdered in her West LA apartment by Constance’s jealous ex-boyfriend John Riccardi.  Connie’s body was found half-stuffed into a linen closet.  Dave believes he would have been Riccardi’s third victim if he had been there that night.  He said,

“So I really do believe that that’s some sort of divine intervention that I can’t explain.”

After that, Dave moved in with his father and a dark descent into drugs, alcohol, and depression would follow.  Prosecutors, even claimed that Riccardi had once handcuffed then 13-year Dave to a toilet and stalked Connie constantly.

Dave Navarro and his father attend the murder trial of John Riccardi in 1993 after he had been on the run for 8 years. Riccardi was finally caught in Houston, Texas on January 4, 1991 after Americas Most Wanted ran a story “Son of Murder Victim Becomes TV and Rock Star” about the murders.  Navarro says he’ll never forget the day John Riccardi was captured.  In 1994 Riccardi stood trial for the murder of Connie Navarro and Susan Jory, he had to relive his mother’s murder all over again as he testified at the trial.

“I had to face the killer in court last year (1999). I had to take the stand as a witness, and to the left of me were pictures from the crime scene on a fucking board. I had to ask for them to be covered.” (Spin, July 2001, excerpt from Dave’s book Don’t Try This At Home)

Riccardi was found guilty and the jury considered the crime so heinous they sentenced him to death, he is now in San Quentin Prison on death row.  Here is a recent photo of Riccardi as he is now one of oldest people on Death Row.

Navarro had tattoo artist Kat Von D tattoo a portrait of his mother Constance from her days as a model on his left rib cage area.

UPDATE 1:

One of the juror’s from the case who wishes to remain anonymous,  sent us an e-mail and said, “I was a juror on that trail and I take exception to the phrase, “Prosecutors, even claimed.”  They “proved” to a jury of 12.  Beyond a resonable doubt.

UPDATE 2:

On July 16, 2012,  The California Supreme Court on Monday tossed out the death sentence of  John Riccardi.   The unanimous court said the trial judge presiding over the trial of John Riccardi improperly dismissed a prospective juror because of her conflicting written responses in a questionnaire asking her views of the death penalty.  Luckily, he will still spend the rest of his life in jail.  Here’s his most recent mugshot.

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