Stefano Cremasco Cicero, 36, a manager at the upscale 1986 Steak House, appeared before a Miami-Dade County judge on Saturday, accused of murdering his mother. The judge denied bail, and Cicero remains in custody. He is scheduled for a pre-trial detention hearing on Tuesday.
Cicero was charged with second-degree murder after allegedly stabbing his mother to death in his 47th-floor apartment in Miami's luxury Solitair Brickell building. Police were called to the residence early Friday morning following an unspecified request. Officers arriving at the scene found Cicero in the lobby with blood on his hands, clothing, and shoes.
He reportedly told officers he was defending himself and led them to his apartment, where they discovered an unresponsive woman suffering from stab wounds. The victim, identified as Cicero's mother, was pronounced dead at the scene. According to an arrest affidavit, she had been visiting from Mexico.
Surveillance footage and key fob records indicate that Cicero and his mother returned to the apartment building together around 10:30 p.m. on Thursday. Footage from approximately 4:25 a.m. Friday shows Cicero in an elevator wearing clothing that appeared to have blood on it and carrying a knife. He was later seen exiting the building and walking outside with his phone before returning and interacting with a food delivery driver who had arrived with an order for the apartment. The driver was asked by Cicero to call 911 and noted blood on him.
During a search of the apartment with a warrant, police discovered several bloody kitchen knives, two bloodstained white shirts, a broken wine bottle, and broken glass.
Cicero, who is of Mexican and Argentine descent, is in the United States on an investor visa. He is the operating manager of the 1986 Steak House in Coconut Grove, which opened in May. His social media profiles depict a lifestyle of expensive tastes, and he and his wife had a wedding in Lake Como, Italy, in June 2025. The couple has resided in the Solitar Brickell building since July 2024.
Cicero's wife, who was reportedly in France at the time of the incident, told police that her mother-in-law was visiting from Mexico and staying with her husband. She also stated that Cicero and his mother did not have a close relationship following her divorce from his father. While unaware of any mental illnesses her husband might have, she noted he had been stressed about the restaurant opening.
Cicero was wearing a green anti-suicide smock during his court appearance. The court was also informed of an active U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer against him. Cicero has not yet entered a plea, but he told police upon his arrest that he was defending himself.