VERO BEACH, Fla. (Court TV) — A former police officer was arrested on charges that he tried to flee from police after he was named as a person of interest in his parents’ murders.
Philip Repaci (Indian River County Sheriff’s Office)
Officers with the Fort Pierce Police Department began investigating after Philip Repaci Sr., 85, and Joan Repaci, 80, were found shot to death in their home. Officers said the couple was found with multiple gunshot wounds in the living room of their residence on Feb. 24. Investigators named the couple’s adult son, Philip Repaci Jr., as a person of interest in the case.
Approximately two hours after his parents’ bodies were found, a license plate reader alerted deputies in neighboring Indian River County that the suspect’s car was in the area. Deputies caught up with Repaci’s white Lexus SUV and activated lights and sirens.
Officers said that Repaci neither accelerated nor decelerated after police indicated he should pull over. After approximately 3,000 feet, a deputy used his cruiser to perform a PIT maneuver and disable Repaci’s vehicle. He was then taken into custody without incident.
Repaci was born in New York, and previously worked as an officer in the New York Police Department, according to WPBF. He was suspended from the department and fired from his position as a union trustee in 2005 after allegedly stealing money intended for delegates, the New York Post reported at the time.
Repaci has not been charged for his parents’ murders.
