A manager at a high-end Miami steakhouse has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder with a weapon after his mother was found stabbed to death in their luxury apartment building. Stefano Eduardo Cremasco-Cicero, 36, was taken into custody early Friday morning after police responded to a call for assistance.
Officers arriving at the Brickell high-rise apartment found Cremasco-Cicero in the lobby with blood on his hands, clothing, and shoes. He reportedly told police he had acted in self-defense. Responding officers were directed upstairs to the apartment, where they discovered his mother, who had been visiting from Mexico, with multiple apparent stab wounds. Miami Fire Rescue pronounced her dead at the scene shortly after 5 a.m.
Surveillance footage obtained by investigators reportedly shows Cremasco-Cicero and his mother returning to the building together late Thursday. Hours later, at approximately 4:26 a.m. Friday, the same video allegedly captured Cremasco-Cicero entering an elevator. Police noted that he was wearing clothing that appeared to be covered in blood and was carrying a knife. He reportedly dropped the knife after exiting the elevator, picked it back up, and then took another elevator upstairs.
Later, Cremasco-Cicero reappeared, reportedly wearing a different, long-sleeved blue shirt, and left the building. He returned a few minutes later and sat in the lobby before encountering a food delivery driver. The driver told authorities that Cremasco-Cicero asked her to call 911 and that she observed blood on him while they waited for police. She eventually handed her phone to responding officers after Cremasco-Cicero allegedly refused to take it back.
Investigators recovered several knives with blood on them, blood-spattered shirts, broken glass, and a broken wine bottle from the apartment. Cremasco-Cicero sustained small cuts on his hands, and blood residue was found on his body and clothing.
Cremasco-Cicero is identified in reports as the U.S. operating manager of the 1986 Steakhouse in Miami. He is reportedly in the country on an investor visa. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has lodged a detainer for Cremasco-Cicero, identifying him as a criminal illegal alien from Mexico charged with homicide. ICE has stated that they are calling on Florida to honor the detainer and that Cremasco-Cicero will receive due process.
His wife, who was reportedly in France at the time of the incident, told detectives that Cremasco-Cicero and his mother had not been close since his parents' divorce. She also mentioned that he had been under stress while preparing to open a new restaurant. The motive for the killing remains unclear.