Current:Home > Contact-usMan charged in 2017 double homicide found dead at Virginia jail-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Man charged in 2017 double homicide found dead at Virginia jail
View Date:2024-12-23 20:36:56
A man charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the killings of his girlfriend’s parents was found dead Thursday in a Virginia jail, authorities said.
Fairfax County police said Nicholas Giampa, 24, was pronounced dead at about 2 a.m. in his cell at the county jail, where he had been incarcerated since 2018. Police said they are investigating Giampa’s death but said that preliminarily they do not believe foul play was involved.
Giampa was arrested in December 2017 in connection with the fatal shootings of Scott Fricker, 48, and Buckley Kuhn-Fricker, 43, in their Virginia home.
The case attracted national attention because of evidence Giampa espoused neo-Nazi philosophies. Neighbors said the then-teen also mowed a swastika into a community field.
At the time of the killings, Kuhn-Fricker’s 16-year-old daughter told police she and Giampa had formed a suicide pact after her family forbade their relationship, discussing “wounding her parents if they tried to intervene,” according to court records. Officials said the Frickers objected to the relationship after learning that Giampa associated with neo-Nazis online, as well as the fact that he had been charged as a juvenile with possessing child sexual abuse images.
Fricker and Kuhn-Fricker were shot after finding Giampa in their daughter’s bedroom. The daughter told police she had given Giampa a security code that allowed him to enter the home after her parents had gone to bed.
According to police, Giampa reached for a handgun and shot Fricker and Kuhn-Fricker after the daughter unlocked her bedroom door. The daughter told police that Giampa put a gun to her head, but it did not fire. Giampa, then 17, then shot himself in the forehead. He was hospitalized for weeks but survived the injury.
At a 2018 hearing, psychologists testified that brain damage from the self-inflicted gunshot wound rendered Giampa unable to understand trial proceedings fully. At least one psychologist testified that Giampa would eventually be able to recover sufficiently to participate in his defense.
Giampa’s jury trial was postponed three times and had been scheduled to take place in January, according to online court records.
___
Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
veryGood! (9)
Related
- The ancient practice of tai chi is more popular than ever. Why?
- Kirk Herbstreit announces death of beloved golden retriever Ben: 'We had to let him go'
- Watch these classic animal welfare stories in National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week
- Taylor Swift could win her fifth album of the year Grammy: All her 2025 nominations
- Denzel Washington teases retirement — and a role in 'Black Panther 3'
- Hungary’s Orbán predicts Trump’s administration will end US support for Ukraine
- Elwood Edwards, Voice of AOL’s “You’ve Got Mail” Message, Dead at 74
- Kentucky coal firm held in contempt again over West Virginia mine pollution
- Ben Affleck and His Son Samuel, 12, Enjoy a Rare Night Out Together
- Elwood Edwards, the voice behind AOL's 'You've Got Mail,' dies at 74
Ranking
- Roster limits in college small sports put athletes on chopping block while coaches look for answers
- San Francisco’s first Black female mayor concedes to Levi Strauss heir
- Brianna Chickenfry LaPaglia Says Ex Zach Bryan Offered Her $12 Million NDA After Their Breakup
- Sea turtle nests increased along a Florida beach but hurricanes washed many away
- What is ‘Doge’? Explaining the meme and cryptocurrency after Elon Musk's appointment to D.O.G.E.
- How Harry Hamlin’s Pasta Sauce Transformed Real Housewives Drama into a Holiday Gift That Gives Back
- PETA raises tips reward to $16,000 for man who dragged 2 dogs behind his car in Georgia
- Elwood Edwards, Voice of AOL’s “You’ve Got Mail” Message, Dead at 74
Recommendation
-
Mike Williams Instagram post: Steelers' WR shades Aaron Rodgers 'red line' comments
-
Prince William reveals Kate's and King Charles' cancer battles were 'brutal' for family
-
Chiefs' deal for DeAndre Hopkins looks like ultimate heist of NFL trade deadline
-
Parents of 4-year-old who starved to death in NYC apartment charged with murder
-
Princess Kate to host annual Christmas carol service following cancer treatment
-
Judge cancels court deadlines in Trump’s 2020 election case after his presidential win
-
Alabama prison sergeant charged with sexual misconduct
-
Who will buy Infowars? Both supporters and opponents of Alex Jones interested in bankruptcy auction