If He Can't Have Her, No One Can

John Riccardi would probably tell you today that he still loves Connie Navarro, the girlfriend he murdered in cold blood.  

And he would proably tell you, he killed Connie, because he loved her so much.

Judging from his pictures taken in the 1980s, Riccardi could have gotten any woman he wanted. But he was attracted to Connie and she to him. 

Theirs was a love affair of opposites. He was from New York, Connie was a California girl.

Riccardi was flashy, flirty, vain and mysteriously wealthy. He alluded to ties with the mob, but hid the fact he was a common burglar. Connie was fun, hardworking and an adoring mother to her teenage son David.

What they shared was an interest in body building and a strong sexual attraction.

If John Riccardi was telling the story, he would say things went sour when Connie decided to leave him.  But friends say it was Riccardi's insane jealousy that led to their breakup.

Riccardi couldn't accept losing Connie, so on March 3, 1983, he went to her West LA apartment to talk and eventually kill. Connie wasn't home, so Riccardi, the burglar, broke in and waited; armed with a .38 revolver.

Connie showed up with her best friend, Susan Jory. An argument broke out and Riccardi shot Connie. She died from a gunshot wound to the chest. When Susan went to help her friend, Riccardi shot her in the head.

That night, John Riccardi began his eight year long life-on-the-run.

The Manhunt Begins

In 1983, FBI Agent Ralph DiFonzo, had been with the bureau for 8 years. He was brash, agressive and just about the best manhunter in the LA fugitive squad.

When DiFonzo retired 20 years later, he had personally nailed two of the FBI's Top Ten.

But back then, DiFonzo was faced with tracking a not-so-typical murderer on the run.  The FBI felt Riccardi's alleged mob ties would help him keep one step ahead of the law, which kept DiFonzo on his toes. 

From 1983 to 1988, DiFonzo tried to keep Riccardi's face in the news.  An ad was placed in Muscle and Fitness Magazine and the LAPD put Riccardi on their "10 Most Wanted" list.

In 1988, when John Riccadi's father died in New York, DiFonzo requested undercover FBI agents attend the funeral in an attempt to spot Riccardi.

It was a complete wash. Worse yet, rumors had surfaced that Riccardi had been killed in a car accident and was buried in New York's Potter's Field.

Last Stand For The Ladies Man

In 1989, DiFonzo turned to the new Fox television show, America's Most Wanted and Riccardi was profiled three times. With each airing the FBI got closer to their man.

DiFonzo learned from AMW tipsters, that Riccardi was very much alive; he even found the gym where Riccardi worked out in New York. The FBI missed him by days. He also learned Riccardi had had plastic surgery to alter his appearence. But the best clue was that Riccardi had a new girlfriend, a young Scandanavian woman, with a model's looks. 

A composite sketch of Riccardi's girlfriend was aired on AMW.  A viewer not only identifed her, but also provided Agent DiFonzo with information he'd been waiting eight years for, John Riccardi's alias and his address in Houston, Texas.

AMW Capture #134

The End of The Line

John Riccardi was surrounded by 10 FBI agents outside his luxury condominium in Houston.  It was January 4, 1991, and his eight years on the run had come to an end.

Riccardi was wanted in LA for the 1983 murder of his ex-girlfriend Connie Navarro and her friend Susan Jory. He had shot them both to death, police believe, using a silencer. 

LAPD turned to the FBI when they learned Riccardi had fled California shortly after the murders. Agent Ralph DiFonzo spent eight years tracking Riccardi, but it wasn't until AMW got on the case that Riccardi was captured. 

Briefcase Full Of Clues

As Riccardi was led away in cuffs, he insisted that the FBI had the wrong man. He said his name was William Failla - a self-employed man who dealt in gold and jewels.

Sure enough, inside his wallet, FBI agents found a driver's license for Bill Failla, but they also found a picture of Connie Navarro, the ex-girlfriend Riccardi had murdered.  

But there was an even bigger surprise in Riccardi's briefcase. There, agents found a videotaped copy of his profile on AMW -- proving that even fugitives are fans of America's Most Wanted.

Agents also discovered a stockpile of stolen jewelry and cash totalling over $1,000,000. Riccardi hadn't been lying about the self employed part. He later pled guilty to running an interstate burglary ring. To this date, agents have not identified all the burglaries committed by Riccardi's crew.

After his arrest, Agent Ralph DiFonzo went to see Riccardi at the Harris County Jail in Houston and introduced himself. 

"I'm the one who's been tracking you for 8 years," said DiFonzo.

 "So what," Riccardi replied. 

DiFonzo stood up and said to Riccardi, "Well I'll see ya later, 'cause I'm leaving and you're not."