A teenager told a court how he tried in vain to prevent a mother of four children from being repeatedly stabbed by her husband before cutting her throat.
The teenager, who cannot be called by name for legal reasons, said yesterday that he has kicked builder Calogero Ricotta, now 64, and has hit him with a broom in his face in an attempt to prevent his wife Maria Nugara from attacking .
He also described how Mrs. Nugara's son, Giuseppe Morreale, 29, jumped on Ricotta's back to defend her and finally put into the belly.
Chelmsford Crown Court heard how Mrs. Nugara and her son, born during an earlier marriage, died of knife injuries in their detached house of £ 1 million in Ulley, Essex.
Ricotta denied having used a knife at the incident, which took place on 28 May last year, only a few hours after Mrs Nugara's lawyers had sent him an e-mail to start divorce after a fifteen-year marriage.
He claims that the injuries were caused after his stepson, Mr. Morreale, had attacked him in their living room with a knife while he had a fight with his wife, and he had protected himself with her body.
But the teenager rejected the story and claimed that he saw that Ricotta stabbed his wife before Mr. Morreale entered the room.
The young person said that Mrs. Nugara had just returned from a visit to her oldest daughter when her husband wanted to speak to her. He described how she initially refused to talk to him before she followed him to the living room.
The teenager, who cannot be mentioned for legal reasons, said yesterday that he made builder Calogero Ricotta (right), now 64, and hit him with a broom in his face in an attempt to prevent his wife Maria Nugara (left) would attack.
Mrs. Nugara, 54, and her son Guiseppe Morreale (left), 29, both died in the incident on 28 May
The teenager investigated after he heard Mrs. Nugara screaming for help about ten to twenty seconds later.
He described how she saw her 'pinned' against a couch, while Ricily, born in Sicily, held her one hand on her chest and 'a knife in the other', while he repeatedly stabbed her.
Graham Trembath KC told him: 'I suspect that he never had a knife with him when he was in the sitting room. Do you agree with that? I suggest that he never had a knife all the time. “
But the boy stopped: 'He had a knife. I've only seen one knife. “
Mr. Trembath also suggested that Ricotta stabbed his wife 'at any time', but the teenager replied, “Yes, he did.”
The teenager claimed that Mr. Morreale only ran down in his boxer shorts for about ten seconds after he and another woman in the house had called him for help.
He denied that Mr. Morreale had a knife and said he heard him shout: “I was stabbed” after he jumped on the back of his stepfather.
The young person said he saw Mr. Morreeale lying quietly on the floor with a knife wound and saw ricotta kneeling on his wife while he “cut her throat.”
He described how he kicked ricotta in the face before he hurried to take a broom and use it to hit him again in his face, and fled to wait for the police who had been called by the other woman In the house.
Mr. Trembath suggested that the incident took place when Ricotta and his wife had a blazing fight, and Mr. Morreale rushed down with a knife.
He added: “Her injuries must have been caused by Giuseppe sliding around with the knife.”
The teenager, who suffered an injured hand in the incident, repeatedly replied: 'No', and insisted that it was ricotta who had the knife.
Chelmsford Crown Court heard how Mrs. Nugara (photo with Ricotta) and her son, born during an earlier marriage, died of knife injuries in their detached house of £ 1 million in Ulley, Essex
Giuseppe Morreale is said to have run down and jumped on Ricotta's back in an attempt to protect his mother
Prosecutor Simon Spence KC said that Ricotta had previously threatened to harm his wife. He said during a family meeting: “If she doesn't listen to me, I cut her throat like a sheep and put her in a hole.”
Mrs. Nugara would be 'petrified' for her husband and revealed to a friend that he had told her 'death or alive, you do not leave this marriage,' the court heard.
The jury heard how she sustained 14 stab wounds and 44 cuts on her body, her front, sides, hands and back.
One 'gaping incisions'' that cut her vocal cords, both neck veins and a carotid artery in her neck, would have caused 'uncontrollable blood loss and a rapid death', the court was told.
Her son was also found with deadly breast and neck injury, which would have become unconscious within a few seconds and would have died in a few minutes after he had lost half of the blood in his body.
The pair was declared dead on the spot after paramedics and police had fought in vain to save them.
Ricotta, who was wearing a gray suit with chalk stripe and a striped tie while he was sitting next to an Italian interpreter in the dock, has denied two murders and one murder, in which actually caused physical injury.
Mr. Spence said that the couple had both been married before and went to sleep in separate bedrooms when their relationship deteriorated.
He said that the attack took place less than three minutes after camera images had shown at the couple's house that Mrs. Nugara came home after a visit to her daughter.
Mr. Spence said that Ricotta started to argue with her almost immediately after she entered the door.
The court heard how Ricotta went up to take off his blood -stained clothing before he went outside to meet the police.
As he did, the boy asked him why he had killed Mrs. Nugara and her son, and he replied, “They wanted to kill me.”
The alleged murders took place in the parental home where Mrs. Nugara lived with her adult son and husband
Ricotta told the police after the incident that it was Mr. Morreale who had the knife and not he
The young person added in a police interrogation: “He seemed angry, but also glad he had taken revenge.”
The court heard how Mrs. Nugara had had a 'very narrow' bond with her family and had taken care of the administration of a housing rental company that she ran with her husband, which owned a number of rental properties.
The teenager added that Mr. Morreale had 'bad habits' with alcohol and cannabis, but described him as 'stupid if he was drunk, but not aggressive'.
He admitted that Mr. Morreale had 'a more difficult relationship' with his stepfather and that he had been abused by him in the past. He added that Giuseppe had contracted bruises in an earlier incident and that the police had been called.
He also said that Ricotta and his wife had a regular fight, and had a 'big fight' in April last year, which also led to the police being called to the house.
Tensions in the couple's marriage would have increased in 2022 when the adult daughter of Ricotta came to live with 'a large number of dogs' in -house, to which Mrs. Nugara objected.
He added that Ricotta was aware that his wife wanted to divorce and family members had asked to persuade her to stay.
The second woman in the house said that Giuseppe had worked at Ricotta for a while, but “couldn't get along well with him.” During a fight, Ricotta had threatened to cut the throat of his stepson with a chainsaw, she said.
The woman said she believed that Mrs. Nugara had spoken with a lawyer about a divorce for the first time in 2018.
Mr. Spence said that Mrs. Nugara regularly took an old friend, Sylvia James, in confidence and told her about the stand of her marriage.
Police at the house in Ulley, Essex, where Mr. Morreale and his mother, Mrs. Nugara, were found dead
The house in Ulley, Essex, where Mr. Morreeale and his mother, Mrs. Nugara, were found dead
In a WhatsApp message that was sent the day before her death, she told her that her husband had told her that she should stay with him 'otherwise it will be messy' and she should 'deal with the consequences'.
Before that, Mrs. Nugara told her girlfriend that her husband had threatened to kill and bury her in the garden, said she said: “Death or alive, you don't leave this marriage.”
Mr. Spence said that Mrs. Nugara had kept a diary about her husband's behavior, and that there were indications that he had found it and had photographed pages on his phone.
Her oldest daughter said that her stepfather was often working in their large garden, where he kept several animals. She remembered that he once said about his animals: “If you cut their throat, they will die immediately.”
Giuseppe also trusted friends that his mother wanted to leave her 'abuse' marriage and 'certainly leaving'.
Ricotta tried to blame Mr. Morreale when he was registered with the Chelmsford police station after his arrest, Mr. Spence said.
He said: 'It was the son who did it, not me. He came down with the knife, not me. I had a fight with my wife. He heard the sound and came down with the knife. “
Mr. Spence said that his claim was “in stark contrast to others in the house,” who stated that Mr. Morreale had only been involved in stopping the knife attack on his mother.
In a later police interview, Ricotta made a prepared statement in which he said he had argued with his wife when she called her son, who “took a knife to him” while protecting Mrs. Nugara. He claimed that he had injured his hand when he tried to grab the knife.
In a later statement he denied that someone else had been in the living room, and he denied that he had attacked the boy.
He admitted that he had discussed the divorce with his wife and claimed that they had both informed the lawyers, but said that she was constantly changing his mind and that their marriage was 'in the uncertain'.
Mr. Spence said to the jury members: 'We say that these murders were illegal and not from self -defense. If you look at the pattern of injuries, it must have been the intention to kill or at least cause serious damage.
“We say that after her return to Maria he was sitting, the speed with which he had already armed himself with a knife and that this was planned in advance.”
The process continues.
