Mom of Alleged Bully Blamed for Burning Connecticut Boy Shows Proof Son Wasn't the Aggressor

Connecticut boy bullying burn victim Connecticut boy burned by bully fireball burned by bully Burning Connecticut Boy

By Lili Scott , Parent Herald Jun 24, 12:58 pm

Photo: (Photo : STR/AFP via Getty Images)

It was not Stefano Giacobbe, 8, who burned Dominick Krankall, 6, the Connecticut boy who figured in the news in April because his family said a neighborhood bully lit his face on fire.

Stefano's mom, Laura Giacobbe, has gotten hold of a video evidence to prove that her son was not the bully. CCTV cameras from the apartment yard where the kids live showed Dominick, Stefano, and a few other boys grabbing hold of a can of gasoline.

Though the boys were not directly on the camera's vantage point, Dominick later appeared in the frame with his hair and face on fire. The police released the video as they concluded that there was nothing to suggest any wrongdoing by the alleged bully.

The Bully Becomes the Victim

In an exclusive interview with Daily Mail, Stefano said that the gasoline they were playing with splashed on Dominick when he got hold of it. There was a cup on fire on the ground that Dominick wanted to step on.

The 8-year-old said they tried to stop Dominick from stomping on the cup, but the younger boy did not listen and headed towards it. The cup exploded, causing the boy, whose clothes were splattered with gasoline, to burn himself.

Stefano said he was sad about Dominick's accident. He cried when he learned that his friend's family pinned the blame on him. Because of this, Laura said that Stefano had been shunned by his own friends, and he's hurting as well because of the judgment he received from social media when the story of a Connecticut boy who a bully burned went viral.

Speaking with the New York Post, Laura said that Dominick's mother, Maria Rua, should be in jail for slandering her son and their family. Rua was the first to tell the cops that it was Stefano who burned Dominick.

"[Maria] put my son through hell," Laura said. "She put me in hell. I want her arrested for false statements."

The relatives of Dominick immediately opened a GoFundMe page to help with his treatment for second and third-degree burns. Their version of the incident sparked outrage for the bully and an outpouring of support for the Connecticut boy. Even the mayor of their city sympathized with Dominick.

Video Evidence Edited?

Meanwhile, Dominick's mother is sticking by the story that Stefano threw a fireball at her son, leading to his injury. She said the video evidence might have been edited because it took some weeks before it was released.

However, Laura noted that many people knew that Stefano was innocent though they were not yet allowed to release the video until it got a clearance from the police.

Laura told Fox News that she's still considering legal action even if there's footage that clears her son.

The story of the Connecticut boy became so big around the world that Laura may have to go the legal route to completely clear Stefano from any accountability for what happened to Dominick.