Confession: 8

Summary

Blood Vines - Episode 8: "Confession" Summary

Podcast Information:

• Title: Blood Vines
• Host/Author: Foxtopus Ink
• Description: Blood Vines delves into one of the largest wine scams in U.S. history, unraveling the dark truths behind the Licciardi family's rise and fall in California’s wine country. Hosted by investigative journalist Chris Walker, the eight-part series exposes greed, lies, and murder that tarnished an industry beloved for its White Zinfandel.

---

Introduction

In the climactic final episode of Blood Vines, titled "Confession," investigative journalist Chris Walker confronts Robert Licciardi, a key figure in the Licciardi family saga. This episode marks a pivotal turning point as Robert breaks his long-standing claim of innocence, offering a heartfelt admission that reshapes the narrative of the Licciardi family's tumultuous history.

---

Robert Licciardi's Shift: From Innocence to Confession

Initial Contact and Legal Struggles

For nearly four years, Chris Walker maintained regular contact with Robert Licciardi, who was incarcerated at California State Prison in Lancaster. Robert consistently professed his innocence, tirelessly appealing his 1995 conviction for the murder of his father, Jack Licciardi. Despite numerous legal attempts, his efforts were futile, culminating in a judge's decision in December 2022 to uphold his life sentence without parole.

The Bombshell Letter

Unexpectedly, just before a filing deadline, Robert composed a three-page letter to the court that would alter his narrative dramatically. In this letter, Robert confessed to the murder, stating:

Robert Licciardi (00:14): "Because what I'm trying to do here is get my humanity back. I dehumanized another human being. I did it when I killed him."

---

Details of the Confession: The Crime and Motives

The Video Call Revelation

In a scheduled hour-long video call, Robert delved into the specifics of his confession. At 02:36, he revealed:

Robert Licciardi: "I'm 64. I just turned 64 last December. I just made a session to just try to reach spiritual perfection. And so that's what I'm doing."

Motive Rooted in Family Business Disputes

Robert's confession was intricately tied to conflicts within the Licciardi family's wine and almond businesses. A pivotal moment in 1986 ignited the tragic sequence of events:

• Family Business Tensions: Robert was entitled to inherit a valuable almond ranch after his uncle's death. However, his father Jack circumvented this by giving the ranch to his other son, Michael, igniting Robert's resentment.

• Financial Strain and Betrayal: Michael's indictment for grape mislabeling strained family relations further. Robert felt marginalized and viewed his father's actions as betrayal, especially when Jack made Robert a 50-50 partner in the grape business primarily to shield it from legal repercussions.

• Triggering Incident: In early 1991, after Robert withdrew $200,000 from the company without authorization, Jack confronted him, leading to a violent confrontation. Robert recounted:

  Robert Licciardi (07:04): "It was there, the guns sitting on the table. It wasn't under the couch, though, all the time, like it's put out to me, it was the gun that me and him used there for our protection."

The Murder

Fueled by anger and a sense of betrayal, Robert took drastic measures:

• Act of Violence: Robert retrieved his father's gun and confronted Jack, ultimately shooting him. He described the moment:

  Robert Licciardi (08:07): "His breath just went up like I watched him take his last breath."

• Immediate Aftermath: Overwhelmed by the gravity of his actions, Robert attempted to dispose of the weapon and clean up evidence, stating:

  Robert Licciardi (08:42): "I just, I threw that down the toilet, flushed it."

---

Family Reactions: Apologies and Emotional Responses

Sister Joanna's Response

Upon receiving the letter, Joanna Licciardi expressed mixed emotions. Initially hopeful, she appreciated Robert's acknowledgment but grappled with the timing and sincerity of his confession:

Joanna Licciardi (12:36): "So I'm not going to beat around the bush on this. Update. 16 days ago, your brother Robert, for the first time, confessed."

She further elaborated on the impact of his admission:

Joanna Licciardi (14:10): "I tell him, I go, you wrote me? But you never, not once said sorry for what you did, for how you... How it affected my life... I would still think of my dad and just. And I missed my brother, too."

Brother Michael's Perspective

Michael Licciardi shared a sense of relief and validation upon hearing Robert's confession:

Michael Licciardi (14:20): "It's just finally admitting it. It's like just, thank you. Thank you for finally being a man and, you know, manning up to it."

Robert's Apologies

During the call, Robert extended heartfelt apologies not only to his family but also to the legal entities involved:

Robert Licciardi (14:10): "I apologize to this court and all of the courts I've used to perpetrate my false claim of actual innocence... I give my sincere apology to my brother Michael and sisters Laura, Joanna and Jacqueline Licciardi, and my father's grandchildren."

---

Implications for the Wine Fraud Investigation

Robert's Role in the Investigation

A surprising twist emerged as Robert suggested he might have inadvertently initiated the investigation into the family's grape mislabeling:

Robert Licciardi (17:37): "I might have been the one that kicked off that investigation."

This revelation implies that his earlier statements to the authorities could have set off the chain of events leading to the downfall of the Licciardi wine empire. The timing aligns with when California agricultural agents intensified their scrutiny of vineyards, hinting at Robert's unintended influence on exposing family corruption.

---

Robert's Future Plans and Reflections

Contemplating Redemption

Reflecting on his actions and seeking redemption, Robert shared his aspirations should he ever gain his freedom:

Robert Licciardi (19:18): "I was even thinking about starting a business that would generate funds to give back to victims."

He also expressed a desire to re-enter the wine industry honestly:

Robert Licciardi (19:40): "Yeah. A legitimate wine. There's a business plan for a legitimate grape business."

Prison as a Path to Change

Robert acknowledged the role of his time in prison in his transformation:

Robert Licciardi (10:48): "Prison is actually one of the best things that's happened to me in my life, believe it or not. Prison and monasticism."

---

Conclusion

Episode 8 of Blood Vines, titled "Confession," serves as a profound culmination of the Licciardi family's dark tale. Robert Licciardi's admission not only brings closure to decades of mystery surrounding his father's murder but also intertwines with the broader narrative of the family's involvement in one of America's largest wine scams. As Robert seeks redemption and grapples with his past actions, the episode leaves listeners contemplating themes of guilt, forgiveness, and the intricate ties between family loyalty and personal responsibility.

---

Notable Quotes:

• Robert Licciardi (00:14): "Because what I'm trying to do here is get my humanity back. I dehumanized another human being. I did it when I killed him."

• Joanna Licciardi (12:50): "I go, you wrote me? But you never, not once said sorry for what you did..."

• Michael Licciardi (14:20): "It's just finally admitting it. It's like just, thank you. Thank you for finally being a man..."

• Robert Licciardi (19:40): "Yeah. A legitimate wine. There's a business plan for a legitimate grape business."

---

Final Note: This episode not only unravels the personal confessions of Robert Licciardi but also reflects on the enduring impact of the Licciardi family's actions on their legacy and the wine industry at large.

Transcript

[Robert Licciardi]

This is Global Tel link. You have a prepaid call from Robert Licciardi, an inmate at the California State Prison, Los Angeles County, Lancaster, California.

[Chris Walker]

For almost four years now, Robert and I have been in constant contact. Over time, the conversations began to take a familiar pattern. He'd tell me about how he was innocent, and our talks would veer into legalese. As he described the ways he'd tried to appeal his case by pulling up court records, I could see the decades long paper trail of various legal tactics. With a sentence of life in prison without parole, he'd tried to overturn his conviction at least half a dozen times. His latest effort had started in 2018 and dragged on for the entire time I'd known him. But as with previous proceedings, it did not go Robert's way. In December of 2022, a judge once again upheld his 1995 conviction. I figured that would be that, that this latest petition would be closed. But then, just before a filing deadline, Robert sent a three page letter to the court. And in it, a man who's maintained his innocence for over 30 years hit me and a federal judge with a bombshell.

[Robert Licciardi]

Because what I'm trying to do here is get my humanity back. I dehumanized another human being. I did it when I killed him.

[Chris Walker]

On this surprise additional episode of Blood Vines, Robert confesses. Not long after I became aware of Robert's letter to the court, I scheduled an hour long video call with him from prison. Normally our calls are limited to 15 minutes, so I wanted some extra time to get into his recent admission.

[Robert Licciardi]

Hey, good day.

[Interviewer]

Hey, Robert.

[Robert Licciardi]

Sorry it took so long.

[Interviewer]

It's. It's been a while since we did one of these video calls, so I'm excited. We can connect at least a year. Yeah, you've got a. You've got a nice goatee going on right now.

[Robert Licciardi]

Oh, yeah, yeah, I heard that. I'm starting to get. Get old, you know, so when they. When, yeah, the skin starts hanging down a little bit, you got to do something.

[Chris Walker]

Going into the call, I wasn't sure how eager Robert would be to discuss why he changed his plea. I needn't have worried. Even before I could ask, Robert addressed the subject head on.

[Robert Licciardi]

I'm 64. I just turned 64 last December. I just made a session to just try to reach spiritual perfection. And so that's what I'm doing.

[Interviewer]

Okay.

[Robert Licciardi]

Christian perfection. And so I owe the nuns an apology. You know, I owe everybody an apology. I mean, I lied to everybody.

[Chris Walker]

So on top of a religious conversion, Robert maintained that he'd recently watched an episode of Court TV from prison, and he saw a segment in which a murder defendant was obviously lying on the stand.

[Robert Licciardi]

Robert thought, I'm that man right there. That's me. I don't want to be that man anymore. But, you know, it started after this last round for the court. It started weighing on me. This must be terrible on the victims, too.

[Chris Walker]

And so he retracted his longtime claim of innocence. He says he's guilty. The admission means he can no longer appeal his conviction. But now that Robert has confessed to the basic fact of killing his father, would he be willing to share more specific details, too? Robert didn't hesitate. Turns out I'd missed a whole dynamic to the family business. Grapes weren't the only commodity the Licciardis had a stake in. The family also grew almonds. And Robert says one particularly valuable almond ranch was supposed to go to him after his uncle died. But instead, Jack took it over and didn't give his son a cut. And that snub, it happened right before a domestic violence incident that I mentioned during our series, the SWAT team being called.

[Michael Licciardi]

He got a little coked up to.

[Chris Walker]

Jog your memories a bit. This was in 1986, when Robert reportedly went to his parents house one night with a gun. And according to a police report, Robert, quote, had a rifle pointed at Jack, Mary and Jacqueline, and he was ranting and raving. Meanwhile, Robert remembers that episode a little differently.

[Robert Licciardi]

See, I. I pulled a gun on him, right? That part was true, but not in front of anybody. And told him, look, give me my part of my company and stuff and, you know, everything will be good and all that, right? And so he called the police on me later and had Jacqueline saying that she was. Saw me do that.

[Chris Walker]

Despite threatening his father, Robert says he felt betrayed when Jack called the cops that night. Robert could never get over his father, involving the authorities in what he viewed as a family dispute. He says that went against their Sicilian heritage. And perhaps Jack felt some guilt about that, too, considering that he later made Robert a 5050 partner of the grape business. Once Michael faced an indictment for grape mislabeling, clearly the father felt torn between which sons he could tr. But in my recent call, Robert confirmed that Jack had been in the dark about Michael's grape mislabeling. But here, too, turns out, Robert held grievances. Even becoming a 5050 partner. He felt like his dad's pawn, like Jack only elevated him in the company to shield it from the financial penalties related to Michael's cases. He even felt left out of Michael's.

[Robert Licciardi]

Hustle, he took off and decided to start doing that on his own. Otherwise I probably would have been in on it with him.

[Chris Walker]

So when Robert found out that his brother was still withdrawing money from the company, was sucking up his inheritance to pay legal bills, he decided to get even by looting the company himself.

[Robert Licciardi]

He took. Yeah, no, he took 200,000 out. I felt it was fair for me to get my $200 and I just felt that I was equalizing.

[Chris Walker]

Jack was apparently furious when he found out about Robert's unauthorized withdrawal. He demanded Robert return the money. Arguments between father and son escalated until one night in early 1991. Robert says Jack drew a line. He told his son, I want my money back.

[Robert Licciardi]

You're going to get punished and I'm going to call the police and all that stuff.

[Chris Walker]

But for Robert, this was the final straw. Something in him snapped. And in what would turn out to be a tragic coincidence, Jack's 22 caliber colt semi automatic pistol, which he kept close by for protection, was right out in the open.

[Robert Licciardi]

It was there, the guns sitting on the table. It wasn't under the couch, though, all the time, like it's put out to me, it was the gun that me and him used there for our protection.

[Chris Walker]

Robert pocketed the weapon when his dad wasn't looking and returned to his own home across the street, mind racing about the possibility his dad might call the cops on him again, just like he did years earlier. But Robert didn't stew long before making a decision. Here's what he says happened. Quietly and carefully. He re entered his parents home and crept towards Jack, who was reading a newspaper with the TV on in the background.

[Robert Licciardi]

He had one eye that was bad, and I knew that too. One of his eyes I couldn't see out of.

[Chris Walker]

Robert placed a washcloth over the barrel of his father's pistol.

[Robert Licciardi]

So to mitigate the sound for one thing, and then two for blood splatter.

[Chris Walker]

And all that stuff, he aimed the weapon at his father's head.

[Robert Licciardi]

And then a boom shot. A pimple.

[Chris Walker]

Jack barely reacted at first, but then.

[Robert Licciardi]

What happened was, is his head went down like this right after, right after the kill shot. He was laying on the couch reading his paper or whatever. And he goes. After the shot occurred, he just goes. His breath just went up like I watched him take his last breath.

[Chris Walker]

The sound of the gun going off had a different effect on Robert. The reality of what he'd done came crashing down on him. He panicked. First he took the washcloth.

[Robert Licciardi]

I just, I threw that down the toilet, flushed it.

[Chris Walker]

Then he felt the need to get rid of the murder weapon immediately. He can no longer remember whether he chucked the gun over the fence onto Albert's property or stashed it in his garage. In either case, I had no idea Albert was there.

[Robert Licciardi]

There was no malice. He just turned out to be a scapegoat later.

[Interviewer]

So I have to ask, just because, you know, she was briefly indicted for first degree murder, was.

[Robert Licciardi]

I owe her an apology big time. Talking about.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, yeah.

[Chris Walker]

Was she.

[Interviewer]

Was she there or.

[Robert Licciardi]

She had. No, she was not. She was at home in bed. She had nothing to do with it.

[Interviewer]

And she didn't put the gun in Albert's garage afterwards?

[Robert Licciardi]

No, no, absolutely not. No. She. She's a. She's a victim of circumstance. I owe her a big apology. I really do.

[Chris Walker]

Robert also confirmed that he subsequently raided the grape business's accounts and stole vast sums that were intended for his sisters. He says he never hid any of that money in Panama or even talked to or intimidated Albert after placing the murder weapon on his property. And despite stories about Michael's close calls with bullets.

[Michael Licciardi]

He was in our backyard playing with a dog, and he felt a bullet go by. It hit the house.

[Chris Walker]

Robert says that he never shot at Michael, although he did suspect that Michael was working with police and taping their phone calls. But if Robert didn't shoot at Michael, who did? Then maybe it never happened. Or maybe memories have shifted.

[Interviewer]

This is sort of a sensitive question, but I'm wondering if your bipolar disorder played into sort of your actions.

[Robert Licciardi]

Oh, it sure did. Yeah, it did back then.

[Interviewer]

Cause I know in some bipolar sufferers, people that struggle with this, you know, they can sometimes have manic episodes but not remember all of it afterwards. And I'm wondering if that's ever happened.

[Robert Licciardi]

Oh, yeah, I don't know. I don't think that happens to me. But I do know that as I've got, as I aged, right, the manic episode just, like, mitigated. When I was in my 30s, my mind used to race all the time. Yeah, racing. I think prison is actually one of the best things that's happened to me in my life, believe it or not. Prison and monasticism.

[Chris Walker]

To be clear, I'm not equating bipolar disorder with violence. But it's well established that memory loss is a common side effect. For what it's worth, I'm glad Robert says he's found relief in prison. It occurs to me that the Robert I've come to know, 35 years sober from drugs and in A different headspace is almost unrecognizable from the voice I hear on the phone calls Michael recorded.

[Robert Licciardi]

Even when I take off on a trip, I mean, it's like I'm a. So away on a plane.

[Michael Licciardi]

I'm here at school that I need.

[Chris Walker]

Robert says he wants the story of how he's changed out there. At the end of our first post confession call, he told me, one of the things I want to do is help people so they don't end up losing half their lives in prison like I did.

[Robert Licciardi]

Killing him was the stupidest thing I ever did in my life, because what I'm trying to do here is get my humanity back. I dehumanized another human being. I did it when I killed him.

[Chris Walker]

Before we got off the call, Robert apologized to me for maintaining his innocence during the first two years we'd known each other. And he asked me to pass along his apology to his family members, all of whom he'd fallen out of touch with. I said I would, but the truth is, I'd already talked to one of them. One week before I spoke to Robert, I was on the phone with his sister Joanna to tell her about the court letter.

[Joanna Licciardi]

So I'm not going to beat around the bush on this. Update. 16 days ago, your brother Robert, for the first time, confessed.

[Michael Licciardi]

Really?

[Joanna Licciardi]

Yes.

[Michael Licciardi]

Oh, my God. You know what? That is awesome, because that is one thing that had always bothered me. And I had been wanting to get in touch with him because he's only written me one letter.

[Chris Walker]

This was a personal letter to Joanna many years ago.

[Michael Licciardi]

He said he was. He was delving into religion. Yeah, he was talking about some sisters and this and that, but, you know, that's the one thing that had bothered me. And I told him, I go, you wrote me? But you never, not once said sorry for what you did, for how you. You know what. How it affected my life, you know, is just like every single day, I. You know, I would still think of my dad and just. And I missed my brother, too. I mean, that's the weird thing. I missed my brother. I wanted to get back in touch with him. But the thing is, what stopped me is that, yeah, he never admitted what he did. I mean, I watch a lot of those shows, and that's one thing that I always like when they'll, you know, finally be human about it and just, like, admit that they did it. Tell them where the body is if the body's missing, to give closure to family.

[Chris Walker]

I told Joanna that in Robert's confession to the courts, he hadn't shared too many particulars, but I did read a portion of the letter to her.

[Joanna Licciardi]

It says, I apologize to this court and all of the courts I've used to perpetrate my false claim of actual innocence.

[Michael Licciardi]

Oh, my.

[Joanna Licciardi]

I also apologize to the Stockton Police Department and the San Joaquin County District Attorney and public Defender's offices. I give my sincere apology to my brother Michael and sisters Laura, Joanna and Jacqueline Licciardi, and my father's grandchildren. Further. Furthermore, I apologize to those who have investigated my false claims of actual innocence and to the Society of Taxpayers for using the court system to maintain my innocence.

[Michael Licciardi]

It's just finally admitting it. It's like just, thank you. Thank you for finally being a man and, you know, manning up to it. It just. You wouldn't think it would mean so much, but it does. It actually surprises me how much it means to me.

[Joanna Licciardi]

Yeah, I wasn't. I wasn't sure, you know, going into this call, how you would react if it was going to be, you know, hard to sort of.

[Michael Licciardi]

Did you think I was going to cry?

[Joanna Licciardi]

I didn't know Joanna.

[Michael Licciardi]

I thought she knew me better than that by now. Oh, you gotta find the joy in life. And that is a joyful thing. I mean, even if he's only doing it because he wants to get right with God. He admitted it. He finally admitted it.

[Chris Walker]

Joanna asked me to pass along her mailing address to Robert. She said she wanted to correspond with him for the first time in years. But while she seemed to have some catharsis at first and might even open the door to a new relationship with her brother, things haven't been that simple. A few weeks later, she sent me a text second guessing things. The timing of apology is not coincidental. He held off on admitting his guilt till it no longer served his purpose, she wrote. And Joanna may not be wrong. Even before he confessed, Robert always told me that he believes 25 years should be the maximum sentence for almost all crimes. The 64 year old is quite upfront about wanting to live his twilight years outside of prison. And though he has a sentence of life without parole, he reads the news. He knows that California is addressing its overcrowded prisons and is considering asking voters to change its laws around life sentences. There's an outside chance that he could see a parole board someday. But even so, Robert rails against the suggestion that his recent confession is only a play for a potential parole hearing.

[Robert Licciardi]

I'm not doing this for parole. I'm doing this for. I want to be authentic. I want to be Genuine.

[Chris Walker]

We'll probably always be left with uncertainties around Robert and his case. But one thing I do feel confident about. The crystal clear connection between the wine fraud and Jack's murder. Robert says grape mislabeling loomed large in his actions. With the state coming after the family fortune, his inheritance, and his father ordering him around. Robert says he was pushed to murder. And there was one more thing. A twist I hadn't expected. Something that, if true, completely changes my understanding of how the state's investigation into grape mislabeling even got started.

[Robert Licciardi]

I might have been the one that kicked off that investigation.

[Chris Walker]

That's right. Robert believes that he probably tipped off investigators at the very beginning of this whole mess. The fatal error happened in 1986, right after the first time he pulled a gun on his father.

[Robert Licciardi]

Because when they arrested me for domestic violence, it's like I'm going, wow, man. He called the cops. You know, I'm thinking to myself, you know, and so. So whenever they was being intervived by the police, I. I was. I said something about mislav wine grapes to. To the. To this. That was to the county authorities. May. They may. Afforded forwarded that to the thing. But I was ticked off at them. I was ticked off at Michael. Him, Jacqueline, everybody. Oh, oh, yeah. Okay. We're using the government now. Okay. Let's all use the government.

[Chris Walker]

While Robert can't remember specifically what he told police about Michael's grape mislabeling, the. The timing does line up with when California agricultural agents first started poking around vineyards. If Robert did kick off that investigation, it adds a strange wrinkle to this saga. We'd have him to thank for starting a process that rooted out corruption in California's wine country and inspired industry safeguards against future tampering. But seen from another angle, it's also a tragic suggestion. The grape investigation created instability in the Licciardi family and may have caused Jack to let his guard down around dangers posed by his youngest son. The ironies don't end there. Robert also told me that he's been thinking about what he'd like to do if he ever gets out of prison.

[Robert Licciardi]

I was even thinking about starting a business that would generate funds to give back to victims.

[Chris Walker]

Victims quite close to him.

[Robert Licciardi]

Trying to pay my sisters back there because, you know, some of that money was theirs. They were limited partners. That was true.

[Chris Walker]

And one of his top business ideas. Starting a new wine company.

[Robert Licciardi]

Yeah. A legitimate wine. There's a business plan for a legitimate grape business.

[Chris Walker]

It's a provocative thought. A licciardi handling grape deals again, but whether that ever happens depends. Will a parole board ever set Robert free and would any family member meet him at the prison gates? This has been the 8th and we think final in episode of Blood Vines. If you enjoyed the series, we'd appreciate it if you show your support by leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts. And please share this show widely. It really helps more people find out about us.

[Laura Krantz]

Blood Vines has been a production from Foxtapus Inc. Our executive producers are Laura Krantz and Scott Carney. Story editing is done by Alicia Lincoln and Laura Krantz. Blood Vines is scored and mixed by Louis Weeks. I'm your host and creator Chris Walker. This podcast was made possible in part by the Fund for Investigative Journalism, but it takes more than a small team to put together a show like this and so I want to acknowledge the generosity of a few other people, starting with members of the Licciardi family who bravely shared so many details about a traumatic time. I'd also like to thank Stephen Lapham, who retired after serving for 10 years as a Superior Court Judge in Sacramento, as well as retired investigators Greg Barnett and Wayne Peterson for providing a law enforcement perspective on these events. I further extend my thanks to Frank Bavaro for opening up about the past, Anthony Scotto for honoring a lost friend and mentor, Dr. Pete Spess for his invaluable forensic observations, Kendita Ross Powers for her research contributions, and of course, every other voice you heard in this podcast. Their perspectives were all essential in providing a 360 degree view of this complicated story. And finally, I'd like to give a big shout out to you, the listeners. Thanks for following us on our series Blood Vines.