{{Short description|Unidentified Italian serial killer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox serial killer | name = Monster of Modena | image = | image_size = | caption = | alt = | birth_name = | alias = | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | cause = | conviction = | sentence = | victims = 8–10 | beginyear = 1985 | endyear = 1995 | country = Italy | states = Emilia-Romagna | apprehended = N/A | imprisoned = }}
The '''Monster of Modena''' ({{langx|it|Il Mostro di Modena}}) is an unidentified Italian serial killer who murdered at least eight prostitutes and drug addicts in the city of Modena from 1985 to 1995.
==Murders== ===Confirmed victims=== The first victim was 18-year-old '''Giovanna Marchetti''', who moved from Mirandola to Medolla to live with her parents and older brother. She was last seen on 12 August 1985 by her boyfriend Giuseppe Volpe, who noted down the license plates of the vehicles in which Marchetti got into, as she prostituted herself to earn money to buy heroin.<ref name=ni>{{Cite web|url=https://www.poliziapenitenziaria.it/i-nove-omicidi-di-modena-rimasti-senza-un-colpevole/|title=I nove omicidi di Modena rimasti senza un colpevole|author=Pasquale Salemme|work=Polizia Penitenziaria|date=24 February 2023 |trans-title=The nine murders in Modena that remain without a culprit|language=it|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20250421043632/https://www.poliziapenitenziaria.it/i-nove-omicidi-di-modena-rimasti-senza-un-colpevole/|archivedate=21 April 2025}}</ref> On 21 August, her body, already in advanced state of decomposition, was found near the Baggiovara furnace.<ref name=myst>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forensicnews.it/il-mistero-del-mostro-di-modena-dieci-delitti-irrisolti-tra-gli-anni-80-e90/|title=Il mistero del Mostro di Modena, dieci delitti irrisolti tra gli anni '80 e'90|author=Fabrizio Carcano|work=Forensicnews.it|date=27 December 2023|trans-title=The Mystery of the Monster of Modena, Ten Unsolved Crimes from the 80s and 90s|language=it|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20250421043648/https://www.forensicnews.it/il-mistero-del-mostro-di-modena-dieci-delitti-irrisolti-tra-gli-anni-80-e90/|archivedate=21 April 2025}}</ref> A bloodstained stone used to bash her head in was found near the body.<ref name=de>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ilgiornale.it/news/cronache/fantasma-mantello-cremisi-mostro-modena-2055646.html|title=La "vita", la droga, la morte: quel "mostro" dal mantello cremisi|author=Laura Lipari|work=Il Giornale|date=6 September 2022|trans-title="Life", drugs, death: that "monster" with the crimson cloak|language=it|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20250421043640/https://www.ilgiornale.it/news/cronache/fantasma-mantello-cremisi-mostro-modena-2055646.html|archivedate=21 April 2025}}</ref> Volpe, investigated but ruled out after a short time, provided the license plate of the last car Marchetti had gotten into that evening: it turned out to be a Ford belonging to farmer Ennio Cantergiani, but since there was no evidence to charge him, he was let go.<ref name=de/>
On 12 September 1987, at the San Damaso quarries, the lifeless body of 22-year-old '''Donatella Guerra''' was found. Her half-naked corpse showed signs of sexual abuse and bore numerous stab wounds to the neck and heart.<ref name=dr>{{Cite web|url=http://www.archiviolastampa.it/component/option,com_lastampa/task,search/mod,libera/action,viewer/Itemid,3/page,9/articleid,1343_02_1987_0246_0033_19640228/|title=TOSSICOMANE UCCISA CON UNA COLTELLATA AL CUORE|work=La Stampa|date=12 September 1987|trans-title=DRUG ADDICT KILLED WITH STAB TO THE HEART|language=it}}</ref> As in the Marchetti murder, the purse containing her personal belongings was not found, and it was also suspected that she was killed elsewhere due to the small amount of blood found at the scene.<ref name=dr/> Investigators found a shoe print and tire tracks belonging to a Fiat 131, and after analyzing the prints, it was deemed likely that the killer was left-handed and had a limp of some kind.<ref name=de/>
A little more than a month after the murder of Guerra, on 1 November, the body of 21-year-old prostitute '''Marina Balboni''' was found in a canal on the road from Carpi to Gargallo.<ref name=ni/> Balboni was a friend of Guerra and had evidently been afraid of being murdered, according to her father.<ref name=bl>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mocu.it/societa/labbra-blu/|title=Labbra Blu - il mostro di Modena|author=Elia Mazzotti Gentili|work=Modena Cultura|date=23 July 2018|trans-title=Blue Lips - The Monster of Modena|language=it|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20250421043658/https://www.mocu.it/societa/labbra-blu/|archivedate=21 April 2025}}</ref> An autopsy determined that she had been sexually abused and then strangled with the scarf she was wearing that evening.<ref name=myst/> When interviewed, Balboni's parents claimed that a few days prior to her death, Marina said that she had to urgently go to Modena for an "important appointment."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lastampa.it/specchio/i-grandi-gialli/2023/12/10/news/marina_donatella_e_il_mostro_di_modena-13919812/|title=Marina, Donatella e il mostro di Modena|author=Gianluigi Nuzzi|date=10 December 2023|trans-title=Marina, Donatella and the Monster of Modena|language=it|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20250329115229/https://www.lastampa.it/specchio/i-grandi-gialli/2023/12/10/news/marina_donatella_e_il_mostro_di_modena-13919812/|archivedate=29 March 2025}}</ref> Like the previous victims, her purse was never found.<ref name=ni/>
On 30 May 1989, the naked, lifeless body of 24-year-old '''Claudia Santachiara''' was found at the beginning of the Brenner highway.<ref name=ni/> She was found with her pants down and a noose tied around her neck, which had created a furrow in her skin and caused her death by strangulation.<ref name=de/> The autopsy, in addition to showing signs of sexual abuse, also revealed traces of DNA under Santachiara's fingernails that indicated she had fought against her assailant. A witness revealed that that evening, although he had not had sexual intercourse, he had been in Santachiara's company and left her 50,000 ''lire'' in her purse.<ref name=ni/> The man claimed that the money had been stolen after the murder, but it was never clarified how he knew this detail since the purse was never found. Journalist Corrado Augias, then host of the program ''Telefono giallo'', interviewed the witness, but the tape on which the interview was recorded was destroyed, an act blamed on political bickering in Modena.<ref name=bl/> On 13 June, a convicted felon named Tommaso Nunzio Caliò was arrested after a prostitute claimed that he had attempted to rob and strangle her. Caliò's DNA was compared to that found on Santachiara's fingernails, but the results proved negative.<ref name=ni/>
Ten months after Santachiara's death, the body of 21-year-old '''Fabiana Zuccarini''' was found in a ditch in San Prospero on 8 March 1990.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.archiviolastampa.it/component/option,com_lastampa/task,search/mod,libera/action,viewer/Itemid,3/page,5/articleid,1301_02_1990_0065_0005_18954071/|title=Giovane drogata uccisa nel Modenese|work=La Stampa|date=9 March 1990|trans-title=Young drug addict killed in Modena|language=it}}</ref> Like Santachiara before her, she had been strangled, but her body was dressed sans for her shoes and socks.<ref name=ni/> Zuccarini's parents said that their daughter had told them that she had a date that night with a man she called "the rich uncle". This man was later identified and ruled out due to a strong alibi. Investigators later pursued a drug-related lead after a close friend revealed to them that Zuccarini was supposed to escort a shipment of heroin from Bologna to Modena, but this also lead nowhere. Her father later hired a private investigator through whom he discovered that on the evening of 7 March, Zuccarini had been seen talking to a man at a club in San Felice sul Panaro.<ref name=bl/> This man, when questioned, claimed that he had only given her a ride to Rivara, but when his home was searched, investigators found a pen belonging to Zuccarini.<ref name=de/> This man then became the prime suspect, but died in a car crash on 11 September 1991, due to which the case was dismissed.<ref name=ni/>
On 4 February 1992, the body of 32-year-old '''Anna Bruzzese''' was found in a ditch near San Prospero.<ref name=de/> She had been stabbed multiple times and had apparently fought back against her killer due to the presence of defensive wounds on her arms and hands.<ref name=ni/> Like previous victims, her handbag was never found. Another prostitute in the area reported that a few evenings earlier, Bruzzese had been forcibly pushed by some people into a dark-colored Alfa Romeo Giulietta – these people were quickly identified and questioned, but ruled out as suspects.<ref name=ni/>
On 26 January 1994, the body of 21-year-old '''Anna Maria Palermo''', killed with 12 stab wounds to the chest, was found in a canal in Corlo.<ref name=myst/> Unlike previous victims, investigators found her purse at the crime scene. The main suspect in her case was a former surgeon named Alessandro Tripi, from whom Palermo had stolen a large amount of drugs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/1996/03/08/modena-delitti-luci-rosse.html|title=MODENA, DELITTI A LUCI ROSSE|author=Marco Marozzi|work=la Repubblica|date=8 March 1996|trans-title=MODENA, RED LIGHT CRIMES|language=it|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20250421160106/https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/1996/03/08/modena-delitti-luci-rosse.html|archivedate=21 April 2025}}</ref> On the previous evening, several witnesses saw her get into the man's car, with a witness claiming that the license plate read "PR", matching Tripi's car.<ref name=ni/> The man was eventually charged and put on trial, but acquitted due to a lack of evidence. Prior to the trial beginning, the priest in charge of a recovery community named Don Giancarlo Suffritti stated that one of his users was forced to perform sexual intercourse by a man who threatened her with a knife.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.archiviolastampa.it/component/option,com_lastampa/task,search/mod,libera/action,viewer/Itemid,3/page,14/articleid,0732_01_1994_0080_0014_10019350/|title="In confessionale ho saputo il nome del serial killer"|work=La Stampa|date=24 March 1994|trans-title="In the confessional I learned the name of the serial killer"|language=it}}</ref> The man allegedly claimed to be the killer and was suspected of involvement in the previous crimes, but was never identified.<ref name=ni/>
31-year-old '''Monica Abate''', considered the last official victim of the Monster of Modena, was found dead in her home on 3 January 1995, with a syringe stuck in her left arm.<ref name=ni/> It was initially believed that she had overdosed, but this was dismissed when it was revealed that she had been suffocated, as her killer had pressed his hands over her mouth and nose, and then stuck the syringe to simulate a suicide.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/1995/01/19/modena-caccia-col-dna-al-killer-delle.html|title=MODENA, CACCIA COL DNA AL KILLER DELLE LUCCIOLE|author=Pierluigi Salinaro|work=la Repubblica|date=19 January 1995|trans-title=MODENA, DNA HUNT FOR THE FIREFLY KILLER|language=it|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20250421160231/https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/1995/01/19/modena-caccia-col-dna-al-killer-delle.html|archivedate=21 April 2025}}</ref> Abate had several bruises and wounds on her hands, and several fragments of human skin were found under fingernails.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.corriere.it/cronache/19_luglio_04/dal-foulard-pelle-sotto-unghie-via-nuova-inchiesta-mostro-modena-3f9ea50a-9e43-11e9-bc94-d529a05c05b2.shtml|title=Dal foulard alla pelle sotto le unghie: al via la nuova inchiesta sul «mostro di Modena» che uccise otto donne|author=Alessandro Fulloni|work=Corriere della Sera|date=4 July 2019|trans-title=From the headscarf to the skin under the nails: the new investigation into the "Monster of Modena" who killed eight women begins|language=it|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20210703182510/https://www.corriere.it/cronache/19_luglio_04/dal-foulard-pelle-sotto-unghie-via-nuova-inchiesta-mostro-modena-3f9ea50a-9e43-11e9-bc94-d529a05c05b2.shtml|archivedate=3 July 2021}}</ref> A used condom was found in the garbage and several traces of blood were found on the stairs, which turned out to belong to her roommate, Laura Bernardi.<ref name=de/> The woman, who was investigated but later acquitted in November 1997, explained that those traces came from her consuming large doses of heroin while waiting for Abate's mother to arrive, who had called her precisely because she was keeping silent on her daughter's death.<ref name=nev>{{Cite web|url=https://www.corriere.it/sette/attualita/20_ottobre_03/modena-cacciatore-ragazze-battaglia-senza-fine-una-madre-a7ea5efe-0267-11eb-a582-994e7abe3a15.shtml|title=Modena, il cacciatore di ragazze e la battaglia senza fine di una madre|author=Massimiliano Jattoni Dall'Asén|work=Corriere della Sera|date=3 October 2020|trans-title=Modena, the girl hunter and a mother's never-ending battle|language=it|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20210703182510/https://www.corriere.it/sette/attualita/20_ottobre_03/modena-cacciatore-ragazze-battaglia-senza-fine-una-madre-a7ea5efe-0267-11eb-a582-994e7abe3a15.shtml|archivedate=3 July 2021}}</ref> A witness later that on that morning, at around 4 AM, a car belonging to a ''carabiniere'' was in front of the woman's home long before the body was found. The investigation focused on two police officers who had contact with Abate, one of whom had a history of visiting prostitutes.<ref name=my>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gazzettadimodena.it/modena/cronaca/2024/10/18/news/il-mostro-di-modena-un-mistero-lungo-40-anni-1.100602430|title=Il Mostro di Modena, un mistero lungo 40 anni|author=Giovanni Gualmini|work=Gazzetta di Modena|date=18 October 2024|trans-title=The Monster of Modena, a 40-year-old mystery|language=it|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20250421043608/https://www.gazzettadimodena.it/modena/cronaca/2024/10/18/news/il-mostro-di-modena-un-mistero-lungo-40-anni-1.100602430|archivedate=21 April 2025}}</ref> Their DNA was compared to that found under Abate's fingernails, but the match proved to be negative.<ref name=nev/>
===Suspected victims=== Besides the eight official victims, the Monster of Modena is suspected to be involved in the murders of two other prostitutes.<ref name=my/>
The first of these was 43-year-old '''Filomena Gnasso''', whose body was found on Soratore Street in the Livestock Market of Modena by a garbage collector on 15 November 1983. The woman, originally from Aversa, had resided in Modena for years and had been stabbed five times. The case was quickly dismissed and attributed to a local prostitution racket, since Gnasso was known to frequent these circles.<ref name=myst/>
The second was '''Antonietta Sottosanti'''. On the afternoon of 13 October 1990, a fire broke out in the Windsor Park apartment buildings in Modena, and after the fire department extinguished it, they found Sottosanti's body in one of the apartments.<ref name=de/> She had a nylon stocking wrapped around her throat, with investigators suspecting that the killer set the fire in order to destroy evidence at the crime scene.<ref name=de/>
==Current status== The then-deputy prosecutor Vito Zincani, who had investigated the murders, returned to Modena in 2008 as chief prosecutor and stated that some members of the Police and the ''carabinieri'' at the time were arrested for corruption. He also claimed that the investigation was not done properly, with the officers involved putting in minimal effort to solve the murders.<ref name=de/>
The case was officially reopened in 2019, and local authorities are reportedly working to solve all the murders.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ilrestodelcarlino.it/modena/cronaca/mostro-modena-omicidi-irrisolti-x3yir2vc|title=E' mai esistito il Mostro di Modena? Tanti interrogativi su una scia di omicidi ancora irrisolti|author=Milena Soci|work=Il Resto di Carlino|date=13 July 2024|trans-title=Did the Monster of Modena Ever Exist? Many Questions on a Trail of Still Unsolved Murders|language=it|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20250421162711/https://www.ilrestodelcarlino.it/modena/cronaca/mostro-modena-omicidi-irrisolti-x3yir2vc|archivedate=21 April 2025}}</ref>
==See also== * List of serial killers by country
==In the media and culture== A documentary film called "Blue Lips – the Monster of Modena" ({{langx|it|Labbra Blu – il mostro di Modena}}), directed by Gabriele Veronesi, was filmed in 2019 and covered the murders.<ref name=de/>
==Bibliography== * {{cite book|title=Il mostro di Modena: Otto femminicidi ancora irrisolti|author=Giovanni Iozzoli|publisher=Artestampa Edizioni|year=2020|trans-title=The Monster of Modena: Eight still unsolved feminicides|language=it}} * {{cite book|title= Il ritorno del mostro di Modena. La prima indagine del commissario Torrisi|author=Luigi Guicciardi|publisher=Damster Edizioni|year=2022|trans-title=The Return of the Monster of Modena. Commissioner Torrisi's first investigation.|language=it}}
==References== {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Monster of Modena}} Category:Italian serial killers Category:Unsolved murders in Italy Category:Violence against women in Italy Category:Unidentified serial killers Category:Fugitives wanted by Italy Category:1985 murders in Italy Category:1995 murders in Italy