Four accused of killing Craig Rideout will return to court

The estranged wife of Craig Rideout, her boyfriend and her two sons are scheduled to appear in court Monday for the pretrial arguments in the pending murder case.

Accused of killing Craig Rideout are his wife, Laura, who was engaged in a bitter divorce with him; the couple's two sons, Colin and Alexander Rideout; and Laura's boyfriend, Paul "P.J." Tucci.

The four also face tampering with evidence charges, and Laura Rideout is accused of burglarizing the Penfield home of Craig Rideout.

►RIDEOUT CASE: Complete coverage

Craig Rideout disappeared in July; his corpse was found in a wooded area of Yates County, wrapped in a tarp. His face was disfigured; apparently whoever killed him tried to obscure his identity by dumping a corrosive liquid on his face.

He was strangled and there were signs of "blunt force trauma" to his head.

His sons were arrested at Mendon Ponds Park in July, allegedly trying to get rid of evidence of the murder.

Tucci and Laura Rideout were arrested separately. Authorities allege that the two bought materials at a Walmart — a tarp, bungee cords, and sulfuric acid — that were possibly used to mar Rideout's face and hide his body.

The pretrial motions were unavailable last week. It's expected that defense attorneys will challenge the admission into evidence of some statements made by the accused — the content of the statements has not been revealed — and will also ask for some of the defendants to be tried separately.

The case is being heard by state Supreme Court Justice Thomas Moran.

(Visit DemocratandChronicle.com throughout the day Monday for updates to this story.)

GCRAIG@Gannett.com