S.I. Slay Suspect to be Arraigned Today

Caught when he tried to buy ticket to China

The schizophrenic Staten Island man accused stabbing his parents to death in their Annandale home will be arraigned today in Staten Island, arriving back in the United States after Israel extradited him a day earlier.

His arraignment will occur shortly after his parents’ funeral, which will take place at 11 a.m. today at Holy Child R.C. Church in Eltingville.

Bearded and wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, Eric Bellucci, 30, was transported this morning to the holding cell in Stapleton Criminal court in an unmarked vehicle, according to Staten Island Live.

Bellucci will face two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of his parents, real estate executive Arthur Bellucci, 61, and health care businesswoman Marian Bellucci, 56.

Investigators believe his parents tried to call for help during the gruesome attack; a telephone in their home was off the hook and covered in blood.  Their son, who went to Stuyvesant High School and Williams College but had a history of mental problems, allegedly cleaned himself up and fled to Newark Airport, catching a plane to Tel Aviv before his parents’ bodies were discovered Wednesday night.

Belluci was found at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurin airport when he had trouble buying a Turkish Airways ticket to Beijing Friday.  His credit card was rejected and when the ticket agent told him to return with cash, she recognized his face from media reports and called authorities.

"The passenger looked unstable, he was talking to himself, he looked nervous," said Liron Cohen, the ticket agent to the New York Post.

Family friend Frank Floridia said Eric Bellucci had stopped taking his medication and wasn't getting along with his mother.

"Artie would tell me that Eric was always arguing with his mom," said Floridia.  "It was Eric and his delusions as to what was going on with his mom."

Police responded to a 911 call to the Bellucci home on Poillon Avenue just after 8:30 p.m. Wednesday and found the couple stabbed numerous times.  Their daughter, who recently moved out because of her brother's behavior, called police after checking on her parents and finding blood in the foyer.

Police do not think that they will have a hard time in prosecuting Belluci. According to one investigator: “"We have everything on this guy except a signed confession. The DNA will seal the deal."
 

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