Riccardis want Frank remembered for his life deathFamily, friends recall murdered man for his music, laughter

SYCAMORE - Frank Riccardi's friends want to make sure he's remembered for who he was, not for how he died. Friday morning, about 30 family members and friends filled the benches in a courtroom at the DeKalb County Courthouse. They were there for arraignment of the man accused of murdering 23-year-old Frankie in rural Kirkland on Oct. 7. Following Eric A. Laskowski's brief appearance in court via closed circuit television, the Riccardi family filed out of the courtroom. They wore yellow ribbon pins on their lapels and collars to identify themselves as family and friends. They congregated and congested the second floor hallway. Those who couldn't go back to the family house said their good-byes, some with tears and some with hugs. Back at the Riccardi home, friends talked about Frankie. They pointed to his artwork on display in the dining room, it includes a painting of the Golden Gate Bridge and a drawing of an upright leaning Tower of Pisa. His friends said he planned on transferring to the University of Illinois at Chicago to study architecture. They laughed at business cards printed with his picture with the words “In loving memory." In the photo he wears a party hat and Mardi Gras beads. Danielle Roesch, a friend, cut that picture out and put it in a locket that hangs around her neck. His friends sat around the family's kitchen table, other family members sat in the living room and others stood in the kitchen. Frankie's dad, Frank Riccardi, brought out the refreshments. Frankie's uncle Ron Riccardi held a shot glass in one hand a CD in the other. “I'm not much of a music writer, I wrote this song and I want to dedicate it to Frankie," he said. The various uncles, aunts, cousins and friends there drink, some shed tears. They listened to the CD of the instrumental song Ron Riccardi wrote, which has a Dave Matthews Band sound to it. That band was one of Frankie's favorites. Frankie played rhythm guitar in the family's band, Relatively Speaking. Everyone in the band is related and has the last name Riccardi. Frank Riccardi said the family is close and his sons refer to his cousins as their aunts and uncles. Erica Rosenberg, Frankie's best friend, talked about a tattoo she plans on getting in memory of her friend. It will incorporate a design which includes the letter F and a heart. Several friends and family members plan on getting a tattoo with the design. Roesch got her tattoo done on Nov. 10. It includes music notation from the Pink Floyd song “Wish You Were Here." Tony and Joseph Riccardi, Frankie's brothers, already have theirs. Tony has one on the back of his neck, Joseph's is on his chest. Their father and Frankie's friend Aaron Lloyd also plan on getting tattoos on their arms. “It's such a significant thing that happened," Rosenberg said. “He was such a good friend to all of us. We have to be branded to let everyone know he's not going to be forgotten." Rosenberg and another friend Sophia Farmakoulas were the last to see Frankie on the night of Oct. 6. They went to Otto's Niteclub in DeKalb where they regularly went on Thursdays to hear the local band Junk in the Trunk. Rosenberg got teary-eyed thinking about that night. They had fun. They were planning on going to hear a Pink Floyd cover band the Friday he died. Lloyd said he spent most of his holidays with the Riccardis. He called Rosenberg to tell her their friend had died. Lloyd sat quiet while the girls talked about their friend. He said they became friends 10 years ago, when the family moved to Sycamore from West Chicago. “I spoke to him everyday," Lloyd said. “That's the weirdest thing, not hearing from him." Tony Riccardi said his brother was remodeling the basement and moving his things there. He had just finished painting it. He said he misses his older brother. “I want to make sure people remember who Frankie was, not what he was killed for," Tony Riccardi said. “His (Laskowski's) defense is going to be that Frankie is a bad person ... “Anyone who knew Frankie wouldn't have done that," Farmakoulas said. “He's not like that." “He's not a drug dealer," Tony Riccardi said. Tony Riccardi said the family isn't talking about what Frankie was doing with Laskowski at 2 a.m. He said he doesn't like it being called a drug deal gone bad. But police are saying that Frankie met Laskowski early on Oct. 7 for a drug deal. He died of blunt trauma to the head after he was struck with an aluminum baseball bat. He also was allegedly robbed of $1,900. Frankie Riccardi's family said there is no reason he shouldn't still be alive. “He was a good kid," Frank Riccardi said. “A lot of people loved him." “It was senseless," an aunt Sharon Riccardi said. “We lost a very important person in our lives. “The guy who did this shouldn't get out of jail, ever," his uncle Lenny Riccardi from Des Plaines said. Eric A. Laskowski, 20, of Kirkland remains in DeKalb County Jail. His bond was set at $3 million. He is charged with murder, felony murder, armed robbery and possession of marijuana with intent to deliver. The arraignment was postponed to Dec. 16. Aracely Hernandez can be reached at ahernandez@daily-chronicle.com.