A Seminole County man who facedmanslaughter charges in the death of his wife was found dead in his home last month.
Stephen Curcio, a Winter Park letter carrier who shot his wife to death at their home last summer, was found in his garage May 8 behind the wheel of a van, its engine running, a tube running from its tailpipe to its interior.
Curcio, 48, was heartsick about the death of his wife, said defense attorney Eric Barker.
"He was really depressed about losing his soul mate, his wife," said Barker.
Curcio told Seminole County deputies that after a night in which they'd both been drinking heavily, he'd unintentionally shot Alexandra Curcio, a pharmacist, between the eyes last June 13.
They'd watched a TV show about a cold-case homicide, and he'd gotten a semiautomatic pistol, chambered it, pulled the clip out then pointed the gun at his wife and pulled the trigger, he told deputies.
Deputies broke into the garage, one wearing a gas mask, after hearing the van's engine running and spotting a blue tube leading from its tailpipe to the passenger's window.
The Sheriff's Office is still investigating the death, but Curcio was found alone, the garage secured by a deadbolt and the door seams of the van sealed with silver tape, according to an investigative report.
Inside the house and safe from harm, deputies found two crated dogs and a will, advising them to give the animals to a neighbor.
Assistant State Attorney Stacey Salmons filed paperwork this week, dropping the manslaughter charge.
Barker said he was in plea negotiations when Curcio killed himself. No trial date had been set.
Source: Orlando Sentinel
