Rocker Dave Navarro Thanks AMW

Rock star Dave Navarro -- a former member of Jane's Addiction and The Red Hot Chili Peppers -- lives the dream life in Hollywood with his wife, Carmen Electra. But he carries the scars of the most traumatic experience of his life -- the murder of his mother, Connie Navarro. Connie's killer was one of the first cases AMW ever took on. 

Dave describes his mother as a very spiritual person, very grounded and very earthy. He says she loved nature, loved children and fitness. That love for fitness led the young, divorced mother to meet a man named John Riccardi at a Los Angeles gym in the early 1980's. They shared a passion for weight lifting, but didn't have much else in common. Riccardi became pathologically jealous and obsessive.  When Connie decided to break off their relationship Riccardi began stalking her and breaking into her house.

Dave's parents had shared custody of him after their divorce, and on the night of March 3, 1983, Dave was supposed to stay with Connie, but at the last minute stayed with his father.  That night  Riccardi broke into Connie's apartment, and waited for her to come home.  When Connie returned with her best friend, Susan Jory, He shot them both to death.  Dave Navarro believes he would have been Riccardi's third victim if he had been there that night. "So I really do believe that that's some sort of divine intervention that I can't explain."

John Riccardi had been on the run for eight years, when AMW ran the story, but he couldn't hide from AMW viewers. AMW Hotline tips led FBI agents to his hiding place in Houston, Texas on January 4, 1991.  Dave Navarro says he'll never forget the day John Riccardi was captured. 

In 1994 Riccardi stood trial for the murder of Connie Navarro and Susan Jory. Dave Navarro had to relive his mother's murder all over again as he testified at Riccardi's trial. 

But it was worth the wait--Riccardi was found guilty.   The jury considered the crime so heinous they sentenced him to death.  He is now in San Quentin Prison on death row. 

Thanks to AMW viewer tips, Dave can now think of his mother without the fear that her murderer is out there free. He says she still fills his heart and that's important, that he remembers the woman, and not the crime.  

Dave is working on a solo career, and other television projects with his wife, actress Carmen Electra.  They recently starred in a reality show that followed their wedding preparations.  Dave Navarro says that he thinks about his mom quite often.  He says he does believe in some capacity she was present.  Carmen Electra's mother is also deceased, so they both lit candles in memory of and in honor of their mothers.

Dave has a special thanks for the viewers of America's Most Wanted.  He says ,"they really do make a difference in the lives of the victims. The difference is that America's Most Wanted offers a solution." "That's what makes it so important and why he is so grateful to it."