Facebook From left to right: son Alejandro, father Aldo, mother Patricia and son Aldo.
Aldo Ripley, the husband of Patricia Ripley — who has been accused of the first-degree murder of their son Alejandro Ripley — said he doesn’t believe that his wife killed their son.
An Amber Alert was issued when Alejandro, a non-verbal 9-year-old boy with an autism spectrum disorder, was reported missing by his mother, Patricia. Initially, Patricia told police that her son had been abducted by two black men who ran her off the road, demanded drugs, snatched her son and fled the scene in a light blue sedan, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.
Around 12 hours after the Amber Alert was issued, a body was found in the canal of the Miccosukee Golf & Country Club, around four miles from where Ripley had said her son was abducted, the Sun-Sentinel reported. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement called off the Amber Alert and confirmed that Alejandro was found dead.
Patricia Ripley was arrested at 3 a.m. on May 23 and is being held in the local jail without bail on a charge of first-degree murder, according to Miami-Dade court records. Ripley is also accused of admitting that she made up the story about her son’s abduction, according to a local news station in Miami, CBS-4.
Aldo Has Maintained That His Wife Is Innocent
Aldo Ripley has appeared with Nelson A. Rodriguez-Varela, a lawyer representing Patricia, to tell the media that he believes his wife is innocent.
“We love Alejandro and we do not believe whatever they said about my wife. It’s not real,” he said, before beginning to sob before Rodriguez-Valera spoke to reporters:
It’s a very, very difficult situation for the family. Everybody is very affected, it’s a tremendous tragedy, what has occurred. As far as what the evidence is in this case, we’re going to leave that to another day to discuss. There’s obviously a great deal of support for her, everybody is very concerned. By all accounts, she has been an excellent mother, an excellent person, a great family as you can see from the people that are here. At this time, we’re assembling a legal team in order to make sure that her rights are respected and that she has the opportunity to vindicate her good name and move forward as best she can from this situation. But now it’s important that people recognize this is a good family, that these are people that have led very private lives under very difficult circumstances. With young Alejandro’s situation, they’ve always been very supportive.
Ripley could be seen nodding in the background as Rodriguez-Valera asked people not to jump to conclusions. “They’re good people and we would appreciate that everyone reserve judgment for another day once we know a little more about what’s going on here,” Rodriguez-Varela said.
The Herald has made comparisons between this case and the 1995 case of Susan Smith, who was convicted of killing her two children after concocting an abduction story involving a black man who carjacked her and took off with her children.
However, in that case, Smith’s former husband, David, said he wasn’t fully satisfied with the lifelong prison sentence, according to the Washington Post. “I’ll never forget what Susan has done, and I’ll never forget Michael and Alex,” David Smith told the Post. “Me and my family, of course, are disappointed that the death penalty wasn’t the verdict.”
Family Photos of Aldo, Patricia And Their Children Show A Stable Happy Family
Ripley’s LinkedIn profile shows that he has worked at Cargill for more than 11 years, first as an international trade coordinator, and then as a sales coordinator for the Latin America, Caribbean & Andean Pact Region as well as a sales manager for the company. Before that, it shows that he worked as a senior account manager for Sand Dollar Distributors for nearly two years.
Ripley’s profile also shows that he earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing and hotel administration from the Universidad APEC/Universidad Iberoamericana located in Mexico City, Mexico. According to a database of corporations, Ripley started a company at one point called Lawn & Garden Corporation, which is listed as inactive on the site.
Family photos from Patricia Ripley’s Facebook page show she changed her profile photo to images of Alejandro several times and frequently mentions her other son, also named Aldo, as well. In one post, she referred to Aldo as her “big boy.”
According to WSVN-7, Alejandro’s brother posted a message on Instagram. It read, “For those who know my family, brother, mother, father, you guys know. Thank you and God bless.”
According to his Facebook profile, Alejandro’s brother attended Miami Christian and Miami Killian High School and studied at the University of Miami. He has also started a Facebook fundraiser for Autism Speaks, an advocacy organization that conducts research and raises awareness regarding autism spectrum disorder; he started the fundraiser because, he said, “their mission means a lot to me, and I hope you’ll consider contributing as a way to celebrate with me.”
READ NEXT: Mother of 9-Year-Old Boy Found Dead on Miami Golf Course Accused of Murder