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CRIME

Man confesses to ‘crucifixion killing’

The man believed to be behind the so-called “crucifixion killing” of a prostitute whose body was discovered tied to an iron bar was arrested in Florence on Friday morning, Italian media reported. He has reportedly confessed to the crime.

Published: 9 May 2014 09:30 CEST
Man confesses to 'crucifixion killing'
Photo: Rosie Scammell

Riccardo Viti, a 55-year-old plumber, was arrested at his home on via Locchi in the northern outskirts of Florence at dawn on Friday morning.

Viti apparently made no protest as he was arrested and later confessed to the murder during questioning, Corriere della Sera reported.

At the moment of the man's arrest, Viti was reported to have said "I'm finished. No one can save me now".

The 55-year-old faces charges of murdering 26-year-old Romanian prostitute Andrea Cristina Zamfir, whose naked body was discovered under a bridge in the Ugnano district by a cyclist on Monday tied to a horizontal bar in a position similar to that of crucifixion. She had been raped and left to die.  

Viti also faces charges of sexually assaulting at least three other prostitutes.

During the search of the man’s home, police said they had also found tape matching that used to bind the murdered prostitute, which was linked to the Careggi hospital just minutes from Viti’s home.

The arrest comes after police said they had found the same DNA in three separate cases investigated in connection with the killing.

The DNA, which was discovered on the tape used to bind the women, concerns a case from July 17th 2011 in Calenzano, a case from March 28th 2013 in Ugnano and another from February 21st 2014, also in Calenzano.

Police are also investigating possible links with four other cases dating back as far as 2006.

Investigators, however, have not ruled out that there could be more cases linked to the killing.

Through interviews with five of the women, including one with a 46-year-old prostitute who was sexually assaulted in a similar case in March 2013, police were able to piece together a physical description of the man.

Quoted in Corriere della Sera following Viti's arrest, the suspect’s mother said: “I don’t know what happened, what my son has done. Ask the police. I only know that I am in the deepest despair.

“They just told me that he confessed. I didn’t know anything. I wasn’t aware of anything. I thought he was a good boy but if he did what he did I can’t defend him. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I’m just in despair.”  

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CRIME

REVEALED: Where in Italy you’re most likely to be a victim of crime

From theft and home burglary to cyber fraud and extortion, the latest figures reveal where in Italy you are most likely to fall victim to crime and the most common types of offences in major cities around the country.

Published: 17 September 2024 11:15 CEST
REVEALED: Where in Italy you're most likely to be a victim of crime

While Italy is among the safest countries in the world – it ranked 33rd out of 163 in the latest Global Peace Index report, right above the UK – crime is still a concern, especially in metropolitan cities and tourist hotspots.

According to the annual crime report from newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore, which collated the most recent data from Italy’s Department of Public Security, Milan was the Italian city with the highest crime rate in 2023.

Overall, some 230,394 crimes were reported in the northern metropolis last year, which corresponded to 7,094 offences for every 100,000 residents.

Milan was followed by Italy’s capital, Rome, with 6,071 reported crimes for every 100,000 residents (up by nearly 600 compared to 2022) and Florence, with 6,053.

The top ten was completed by Rimini (6,002 reports for every 100,000 residents), Turin (5,685), Bologna (5,539), Prato (4,887), Imperia (4,838), Venice (4,825) and Livorno (4,743).

At the other end of the spectrum, Oristano, Sardinia, was the Italian city with the lowest crime rate in 2023 as it ‘only’ saw 1,511 offences for every 100,000 residents. 

Oristano was followed by Potenza, Basilicata (1,934) and Treviso, Veneto (2,258).

Single-offence rankings

While the overall crime rate ranking provides a picture of Italy’s major crime hotspots, it doesn’t allow for any insight into the types of offences committed locally, which is why it is worth looking into single-offence rankings. 

Milan, Rome and Rimini (a popular seaside resort on Emilia Romagna’s Adriatic coast) were the Italian cities with the highest theft rates in 2023, with the northern city registering nearly 3,900 reported thefts (furti) for every 100,000 residents and the capital stopping just shy of the 3,500 mark.

Milan was also Italy’s least-safe city when it came to petty theft and pickpocketing, with over 900 such offences reported for every 100,000 residents.

READ ALSO: How bad is pickpocketing in Italy’s major cities?

Florence was the Italian city with the highest robbery rate (rapine), with 136 offences for every 100,000 residents. 

The Tuscan city was followed by Milan (128) and Prato (124).

Outside of big cities and popular tourist destinations, a number of smaller and, perhaps, slightly unassuming Italian cities had their own crime ‘specialisations’ in 2023. 

For instance, Ragusa, Sicily, ranked first in vehicle theft, while Pisa, Tuscany, came in first in reported home burglary offences.

Trieste, Friuli Venezia Giulia, had the highest sexual assault rate (24 reports for every 100,000 residents) in the country, whereas Crotone ranked first for attempted murder.

READ ALSO: The 8 red flags to look out for to avoid rental scams in Italy

Turin came in first for cyber fraud and online scams, while Isernia, Molise, was Italy’s extortion capital. 

National picture

At a national level, reported crimes were up by 3.8 percent compared to 2022, with online fraud and robbery registering 10.3- and 9.5-percent increases respectively. 

Assault offences also registered a 3.1-percent year-on-year increase, while there were 341 murders in 2023 – up by 13 against 2019. 

According to Marco Dugato, a researcher at the Crime Observatory of Milan’s Cattolica University, the latest increases “must be monitored, particularly for certain types of crime”.

In particular, “the rise of more impulsive, less planned, but more aggressive forms of criminal activity” such as assault and robbery “is of concern”. 

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