Suvechha Sarkar
In 2003, the quiet community of Orlando, Florida, was left shocked by a family tragedy when Richard Kananen Jr., AKA Rickie, was arrested for the murder of his mother, Marilyn Theresa, and became entangled in the death of his father, Richard Alfred Kananen Sr. However, things became complicated when he attempted to implicate his sister, Stacey Kananen, for the crimes. Lifetime’s movie ‘Monster in the Family: The Stacey Kananen Story,’ which is based on the memoir “Fear of Our Father: The True Story of Abuse, Murder, and Family Ties,” delves deeper into the shocking events surrounding the deaths of Marilyn and Richard Sr., and how Rickie was brought to justice.
Richard Kananen’s Father Suddenly Went Missing in September 1988
Richard Kananen Jr., AKA Rickie, was born on April 18, 1956, to Marilyn Theresa and Richard Alfred Kananen Sr. He grew up alongside his sisters, Stacey Kananen and Cheryl Bracken, in Orlando, Florida. However, reports state that he had a tumultuous childhood because of the alleged abuse he and his family had to endure from Richard Sr. So, when his father went missing on September 15, 1988, neither Rickie nor his family members reported him missing. According to records, as Rickie stepped into adulthood, he frequently disappeared for extended periods. Following that, he returned around November 2002 when his grandfather, Lawrence Regan Sr., passed away. Rickie then moved in with his sister, Stacey, and her roommate, Susan Cowan, in their home in Orange County, Florida, which was near Marilyn’s residence.
Things took a turn when Marilyn was reported missing in September 2003 by Cheryl. At the beginning of the investigation, detectives reportedly discovered Richard Sr.’s disappearance 15 years ago. The arrest report stated that Cheryl had pressed Rickie about Marilyn’s disappearance, and he had told her that their mother was trying to escape from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It turned out that Marilyn had been cashing out Richard Sr.’s Social Security checks for 15 years. It was reportedly confirmed during an investigation by the Social Security Administration and IRS. They learned that Marilyn owed the agency approximately $100,000.
A Trail of Financial Motives Led to the Arrest of Richard Kananen
Detectives discovered that Rickie had diverted around $60,000 from his mother’s trust fund to his personal account. Moreover, multiple checks were drawn on Marilyn’s money-market account. Those checks were reportedly used as payments to Rickie and Stacey for their venture. A neighbor, Stephen Rucinski, informed the detectives that after Marilyn went missing, Rickie and Stacey held a yard sale to sell their mother’s collectibles. He also told them that Rickie moved into Marilyn’s home and bragged about using his parents’ joint account by dropping the “Jr.” from his name. On December 16, 2003, Cheryl contacted the officials when her son told her that Rickie had allegedly bragged about killing Richard Sr. to him. As per official reports, officers questioned Stacey and Rickie about those incidents.
Yet shortly after, Stacey and Rickie reportedly tried to die by suicide using carbon monoxide in December 2003. However, they were rescued by the detectives who had been keeping surveillance on them. While Stacey recovered in the hospital, Rickie was reportedly interrogated again. He finally confessed to killing his mother and told officials that he had buried her behind Stacey’s home. The book states that Stacey informed the investigators that Rickie had also killed Richard Sr. In late December 2003, they discovered the remains of Richard Sr. from Marilyn’s garage floor, and on the same night, they uncovered her remains from the backyard of Stacey’s home. Rickie was ultimately arrested on December 23, 2003, and charged with first-degree murder of Marilyn.
Richard Kananen is Currently Incarcerated at a Florida Prison Facility
Following Rickie’s arrest, he was denied bond by the judge. The prosecutors claimed that the motive behind the murder was completely financial and highlighted a $250,000 nest egg that Marilyn had inherited. They also pointed out the forensic evidence of the remains discovered from the garage floor and the backyard of Stacey’s home, where Rickie was also living at the time. On the other hand, the defense emphasized the years of alleged abuse that he suffered at the hands of his father and focused on minimizing his responsibility. Reports state that Rickie provided multiple inconsistent statements throughout the years until, in 2007, he claimed that Stacey was the one who killed Richard Sr., and he had allegedly just helped in burying their father.
Rickie alleged that Stacey had also planned Marilyn’s murder. Ultimately, in May 2007, he entered a plea arrangement in return for testifying against Stacey during her trial. He pleaded no contest to manslaughter in connection with Richard Sr.’s death and to second-degree murder for Marilyn’s. On May 1, 2007, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for manslaughter and received a 30-year term for second-degree murder, to be served concurrently. In March 2010, Rickie testified in court that Stacey allegedly tased their mother, while he suffocated her with a bandana on September 10, 2003. In the end, Stacey was found not guilty on March 12, 2010. As of writing, Richard is serving his sentence at Zephyrhills Correctional Institution in Zephyrhills, Florida. He is set to be released on June 16, 2029, by which time he will be 73 years old.
Read More: How Did Marilyn Kananen and Richard Kananen Sr. Die? Who Killed Them?
