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 23:57:35
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! (8)
Related
- Jennifer Lopez Gets Loud in Her First Onstage Appearance Amid Ben Affleck Divorce
- French lawmakers approve bill to ban disposable e-cigarettes to protect youth drawn to their flavors
- Derek Chauvin returned to prison following stabbing, lawyer says
- CVS Health lays out changes to clarify prescription drug pricing that may save some customers money
- 2 striking teacher unions in Massachusetts face growing fines for refusing to return to classroom
- Cardi B Sparks Offset Breakup Rumors After Sharing Message on Outgrowing Relationships
- Danish union to take action against Tesla in solidarity with Swedes demanding collective bargaining
- NFL official injured in Saints vs. Lions game suffered fractured fibula, to have surgery
- Manhattan rooftop fire sends plumes of dark smoke into skyline
- Gloria Allred representing family involved with Josh Giddey case
Ranking
- Top Federal Reserve official defends central bank’s independence in wake of Trump win
- Wikipedia, wrapped. Here are 2023’s most-viewed articles on the internet’s encyclopedia
- White House warns Congress on Ukraine aid: We are out of money — and nearly out of time
- Moody’s cuts China credit outlook to negative, cites slowing economic growth, property crisis
- Sister Wives’ Madison Brush Details Why She Went “No Contact” With Dad Kody Brown
- Rizz is Oxford's word of the year for 2023. Do you have it?
- Top players in the college football transfer portal? We’re tracking them all day long
- 4 killed, including a 1-year-old boy, in a shooting at a Dallas home
Recommendation
-
Lala Kent Swears by This Virgo-Approved Accessory and Shares Why Stassi Schroeder Inspires Her Fall Style
-
The U.S. supports China's growth if it 'plays by the rules,' commerce secretary says
-
U.S. warship, commercial ships encounter drone and missile attacks in the Red Sea, officials say
-
It's money v. principle in Supreme Court opioid case
-
Harriet Tubman posthumously honored as general in Veterans Day ceremony: 'Long overdue'
-
Missing woman from Minnesota found dead in garbage compactor of NYC condominium building
-
USC quarterback Caleb Williams will not play in bowl game; no NFL draft decision announced
-
Maralee Nichols Shares Glimpse Inside Her and Tristan Thompson's Son Theo's 2nd Birthday Party