Quad Amputee 'Person of Interest' in Parents' Murder

Florida police on the hunt for Sean Petrozzino after parents found slain
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 6, 2014 8:32 AM CST
Quad Amputee 'Person of Interest' in Parents' Murder
Police have released this photo of Sean Petrozzino at an Orlando ATM on Tuesday, asking the public to take special note of his hands in the hopes of finding him.   (Orange County Sheriff's Office, via WFTV)

"I cannot imagine him doing something like this—I don't think he would be able to." That was the reaction of one of Sean Petrozzino's neighbors to the Orlando Sentinel upon hearing that the 30-year-old South Florida man—a quadruple amputee after a bout with bacterial meningitis as a teen—was being sought by police for questioning in the fatal shooting of his parents. "We do believe he has a firearm," a spokeswoman for the Orange County Sheriff's Office tells WFTV. "He's considered dangerous, and they believe he is in the South Florida area." The spokeswoman notes that Petrozzino is a "person of interest," not a suspect, in his parents' murders. Nancy, a second-grade teacher, and Michael, a Disney World cast member, were found dead in their Orange County home Tuesday.

People who know Petrozzino are baffled by the possibility of the once-inspiring teen being a murderer: After he contracted meningitis at 16, he touched people with his "upbeat attitude" and "positive outlook," notes the Sentinel. Interviews and records indicate he had recently separated from his wife, had his home foreclosed on, and moved back in with his parents. Investigators have released a picture of Petrozzino at a local ATM, asking the public to take special note of the appearance of his hands in the hopes of ID'ing him; the head of a prosthetics company tells the Sentinel that people without hands are able to fire guns without requiring any special devices. Petrozzino is believed to be driving a red Toyota Camry with the Florida license plate 112VZY. (More crime news: In Delaware, an ex-NFL cheerleader is accused of raping a teen.)

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