After mother was shot to death, her family fights for custody of twin boys accused of killing her
A teenager who confessed to the killing of his mother, who was shot to death during a fight that began at a strip club in North Miami, is fighting for custody of one of the twin boys.
Ricky Gagliano said he shot mother Jennifer Gagliano three times in the head and chest during a fight that started at a party at a nearby strip club on Dec. 10.
Family attorney Michael Heiser said Ricky Gagliano, 16, does not have custody of his twin brother, 13-month-old Isaac, who remains in the care of the Florida Department of Children and Families, because a judge ruled Ricky is too young.
Gagliano confessed to the killing during a police interview, Heiser said.
“What Ricky did was the right thing to do. He made her stop and he put her out of her misery,” Heiser said. “He did what any sane human being would do in that situation.”
Jennifer was 22 when she was killed last month in a Miami-Dade County neighborhood as she was walking home after partying at a strip club. Family members have not disclosed the cause of death.
Last month, two brothers in the family of Ricky Gagliano appeared in court in a high-profile case that has drawn national headlines. The brothers are each charged with first-degree murder in the death of Jennifer.
Isaac Gagliano, who remains in the custody of state child protective services, has said he never called police to report his mother’s death.
The case raised concerns about the separation of brothers, and the Department of Children and Families is conducting an investigation. It is the first time a court has ordered the brothers’ children removed from a parent’s custody.
Ricky, who was 16 when his mother was killed, has been charged as an adult, but a judge ruled on Friday that Ricky would
