Ciccone apologizes to wife's family

Albert Ciccone was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole last week in connection with the death of his pregnant wife, Kathleen, in October of 2003.

Ciccone had been convicted in January of this year of running his wife down with their car after she had gotten out of it on Ditto Road near Tipanuk following an argument between the estranged couple, who had been married only a few months before.

In his presentence statement to the court, Ciccone said he was sorry he had not acted responsibly when he was driving, and continued to contend that striking his wife had been an accident.

Facing the judge, and not the family of his wife, he made a tearful apology to the family.

He added that his father was praying for him and that he, himself, had been praying for forgiveness.

In their victim impact statements, Kathleen's family expressed the pain, anguish and anger that they had felt following her death, noting that their lives had been disrupted and they had experienced nightmares and family problems as a result of their grief.

Her mother said that she had only recently been able to go back to their home on K&R Ranch Road, where Kathleen had been staying at the time of her death.

The family noted that Kathleen's unborn daughter would have been one year old in May. She had been named Ann Marie Bree.

The family, in their statements to the court, discussed their faith, which they said had sustained them in their ordeal, and that they had prayed for Albert and for the ability to forgive them, which they felt they could not yet express.

Ciccone showed no emotion when the verdict was read, although there was an outburst of joy and relief from the family and friends of Kathleen when Judge Mike Wetherell handed down the sentence.

Wetherell said that he believed the jury had been correct in handing down a verdict of first-degree murder in the case.

In addition to the sentence of life without parole, Wetherell sentenced Ciccone to 15 years to be served concurrently, for the death of the fetus. Ciccone had been convicted of second-degree murder in the death of the unborn child.

Prosecutor Aaron Bazzoli, in comments after the sentencing, praised defense attorney Terry Ratliff for the "excellent job he did presenting defense arguments at the sentencing."

Bazzoli also noted that this was a case of domestic violence, and that there had been prior issues of violence by Ciccone against his first wife.

Ratliff has 42 days to file an appeal in the case.