A Miami steakhouse manager is facing a second-degree murder charge after police say his mother was found stabbed to death inside his luxury high-rise apartment — and the suspect allegedly told officers he was simply “defending myself.”
Stefano Eduardo Cremasco-Cicero, 36, was arrested after Miami police responded to a Brickell apartment building shortly before 5 a.m. Friday following an emergency call.
When officers arrived, they allegedly found Cremasco-Cicero in the lobby with blood on his hands, clothing and shoes.
According to the arrest report, he directed officers to his apartment on the 47th floor, where police discovered his mother lying behind the front door with multiple apparent stab wounds. Miami Fire Rescue later pronounced her dead at the scene.
The woman has not been publicly identified. Authorities said she was visiting from Mexico and had been staying with her son.
But what investigators reportedly discovered through surveillance footage has made the case even more disturbing.
Building surveillance allegedly showed Cremasco-Cicero and his mother entering the high-rise together around 10:32 p.m. Thursday.
Several hours later, around 4:26 a.m., surveillance footage allegedly captured Cremasco-Cicero entering an elevator wearing a white shirt, khaki pants and white shoes that appeared to be covered in blood.
Police say he was also carrying a knife.
According to investigators, the surveillance footage allegedly shows him dropping the knife after leaving the elevator. He then reportedly picked it back up before getting into another elevator and returning upstairs.
Later, investigators say he appeared again wearing a different long-sleeved blue shirt.
He eventually left the building while using his cellphone before returning to the lobby.
That’s when a food delivery driver reportedly encountered him.
According to police, Cremasco-Cicero opened the lobby door for the driver and asked her to call 911. He eventually called police himself and handed the phone to the driver to provide the building information.
The driver reportedly noticed blood on him while speaking with the dispatcher.
When she attempted to give his phone back, investigators say he refused to take it.
Police ultimately arrested Cremasco-Cicero and charged him with second-degree murder with a weapon.
Investigators later obtained a search warrant for the apartment and reportedly recovered several kitchen knives with blood on them, blood-spattered clothing, broken glass and a broken wine bottle.
Authorities have not announced a clear motive for the alleged killing.
Cremasco-Cicero’s wife, who was reportedly in France at the time, told investigators that his mother had been staying with him while visiting from Mexico. She also reportedly said her husband and his mother had not been particularly close following his parents’ divorce.
His wife allegedly told police that Cremasco-Cicero had been under significant stress while preparing to open another restaurant in Miami, although she did not believe he suffered from a mental illness.
Cremasco-Cicero is reportedly the U.S. operating manager of the upscale 1986 Steakhouse in Miami.
He remains in custody without bond while an immigration hold is also being placed on him. He is scheduled to return to court on Tuesday, September 8.
For now, his claim that he was acting in self-defense remains just that — a claim. Cremasco-Cicero has been accused of murder, and the allegations against him have not been proven in court.
But with investigators pointing to surveillance footage allegedly showing him carrying a knife while covered in blood, the case is already raising serious questions.
And the biggest question is: What really happened inside that 47th-floor apartment between a mother and her son?
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