Dave Navarro's Mother's Murderer Gets Death Sentence Overturned

The California Supreme Court has overturned the death sentence of John Riccardi, the man convicted in 1994 of murdering Connie Hopkins Navarro, mother of Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro, more than a decade earlier. According to LAist.com, the court has ruled that Riccardi was denied a fair trial, since the judge presiding over the case erroneously excused one of the potential jurors.

Riccardi, now 76 years old and one of the oldest men on death row in California, was convicted of killing both Connie Navarro and her best friend, Susan Marshall Jory. Although the murders took place in 1983, he wasn't arrested until 1991, after Navarro appeared on "America's Most Wanted." FBI agents nabbed Riccardi in Houston, where he was said to be living in a condo flush with stolen cash and jewels.

Navarro, also famous for his '90s stint with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, said in 2004 that he'd been slated to stay with his mother the night of her death. He opted instead to spend the night with his father -- a decision that he believes saved his life.

"So I really do believe that that's some sort of divine intervention that I can't explain," he said.

View the "Musicians We've Lost in 2012" Photo Gallery