Tearful Cipriano Expresses Remorse, Young Vows Appeal

While a tearful Tucker Cipriano asked forgiveness as he was sentenced Wednesday afternoon to life in prison without the possibility of parole, his co-defendant Mitchell Young defiantly asserted his innocence. 

Tucker Cipriano pleaded no contest in May to first degree murder charges in the beating death of his father, Robert Cipriano, 52. Young was convicted in June of first degree murder, assault with intent to murder and armed robbery. 

But while Tucker Cipriano tearfully said he was taking responsibility for his actions as he read from a prepared statement, Young vowed to appeal his conviction and read a long statement supporting his contention that he did not receive a fair trial. 

Tucker Cipriano called his father a "great man" who stood up for him time and again and "taught me to hold my head up and be strong … and that includes taking responsibility for my actions." He said his mother, Rose, who was injured in the April 2012 attack, is "an amazing mom and did anything she could to help me all my life." He said his mother started taking him to counseling and for medical treatment for depression when he was in 2nd grade. 

Tucker broke down when describing how his father told him to be "a role model to my younger siblings ... I might have been an irresponsible and unpleasant older brother, but I love you guys with all my heart."

While Tucker's younger brother Salvatore continues to recover from his injuries, siblings Tanner and Isabella were not hurt in the attacks. 

While attorney Mitchell Ribitwer asked Judge Shalina Kumar to give his client credit for standing up and taking responsibility for his actions, Assistant Oakland County Prosecutor John Skrzynski said Tucker Cipriano's statements in a pre-sentencing report showed otherwise.

"He's still not admitting what he actually did," Skrzynski said. "The first step of rehabilitation, the first step of forgiveness, is the person actually admitting what he did." 

Kumar pointed out that Tucker Cipriano had the gift of a loving family. "They did everything in their power to help you, but you just didn't want to help yourself," she said before pronouncing the mandatory sentence of life without parole. 

In addition to the prison sentence, Kumar imposed the condition that Tucker Cipriano is to have no contact with Young. Likewise, Young is to have no contact with Tucker or any other member of the Cipriano family. 

Before being sentenced to life without parole, Young, in a statement that ran half an hour, portrayed himself as someone whose only intent was "to help someone who asked me to help pick up their belongings." Admitting he had a habit of experimenting with drugs, he said he had maintained good grades in high school and intended to study at the Michigan Institute of Aviation Technology. 

Young also criticized his attorney, Michael McCarthy, but Kumar told him, "I don't think there is an attorney that could have done a better job."

"You need to take a look in the mirror," Kumar said. "You had a lot going for you, you could have been a lot in life ... You have ruined your own life, along with the lives of the Cipriano family."