Sonoma County man on trial in father's fatal shooting prosecutors say was staged as gunfight

"By the time sheriff's deputies arrived, the 80-year-old lay face down beneath a blanket, a revolver under his body and what investigators later said looked like a staged gunfight. Now, Molica, 39, is on trial in Sonoma County Superior Court, accused of killing his father, Richard Molica, at the family's Stony Point Road home north of Rohnert Park. Deputy District Attorney Adam McBride told jurors the evidence would show the shooting was deliberate and that Molica tried to mislead investigators."

"Investigators found the victim with two gunshot wounds in what McBride described as a staged scene. The revolver beneath Richard Molica's body and another handgun found in the kitchen appeared to have been positioned to support a story of mutual gunfire, the prosecutor said. Molica waited until the afternoon of Jan. 27 to dial 911, about 15 hours after the shooting the previous evening, according to prosecutors."

"Authorities also arrested Richard Molica's 72-year-old wife, Beverly Molica, that same day in Vallejo. Investigators suspected her of conspiracy and acting as an accessory, but prosecutors declined to file charges. Her involvement was never publicly detailed. The killing came less than a week after another violent encounter at the same home. On Jan. 21, sheriff's deputies responded to a report of an argument between father and son that ended with Cody Molica shoving his father hard enough to knock him down, McBride told jurors. Molica was arrested in that case and later released."

An 80-year-old man, Richard Molica, was found shot at his Stony Point Road home with a revolver beneath his body and signs suggesting a staged gunfight. Deputies arrived after Cody Molica waited about 15 hours to call 911; shell casings, bullet holes and dried blood were present. Prosecutors say the shooting was deliberate and that weapons were positioned to imply mutual gunfire. Defense contends the elder Molica fired first and that Cody acted in self-defense. Authorities arrested Cody at the scene and briefly detained Richard Molica's wife, who was suspected but not charged. A week earlier, deputies responded to a violent argument in which Cody shoved his father.

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