List of major crimes in Italy

This page presents, in a non-exhaustive manner, notorious or significant Italian criminal cases whose developments that have taken place. Types of crime include murders, rape, theft, kidnappings and other high-profile criminal trials and miscellaneous crime.

Terrorism DatePlaceCaseSummaryConvictions and comments19 July 1992PalermoVia D'Amelio bombing6 people were killed in a car bombing.27 May 1993FlorenceVia dei Georgofili bombing5 people were killed in a car bombing.27 July 1993MilanVia Palestro massacre5 people were killed in a car bombing.19 May 2012BrindisiBrindisi school bombing5 people were injured in a bombing, one was killed.3 February 2018MacerataMacerata shooting6 people were injured in a shooting.20 March 2019Crema2019 Italian bus hijackA school bus was hijacked by its driver Ousseynou Sy, who attempted to set it on fire. Sy, whose origins are Senegalese, said his motive was to avenge the deaths of African migrants in the Mediterranean Sea. Police freed the children before he set the vehicle on fire.

Missing person cases DatePlaceCaseSummaryConvictions and comments16 September 1970PalermoDisappearance of Mauro De MauroAn investigative journalist with the left-leaning newspaper L'Ora in Palermo who disappeared.Vain Search Angers Italian Crime Board , The New York Times, 14 October 19702006 trial but the mystery remains. De Mauro, processo dopo 35 anni , La Repubblica, 5 April 20067 May 1983RomeDisappearance of Mirella GregoriA 15-year-old girl who went missing in Rome.Unsolved as of 202622 June 1983RomeDisappearance of Emanuela OrlandiA 15-year-old girl who went missing in Rome.Unsolved as of 202612 September 1993PotenzaMurder of Elisa ClapsA 16-year-old who went missing in Potenza.Danilo Restivo murdered her and hid the body in the Chiesa della Santissima Trinità.10 August 1996Monte Faito, NaplesDisappearance of Angela CelentanoA 3-year-old child who went missing on a trip organised by the Evangelical Community of Vico Equense.Unsolved as of 2026

Individual murders

20th century DatePlaceCaseSummaryConvictions and commentsSeptember 1944Holohan murder caseMay 1988CalabriaGruppo del RosarioThe leader of the apocalyptic cult, Lidia Naccarato, was arrested along with 35 members, following the brutal murder of a fellow member.Imarisio, Marco (1 April 2006)."Sabba con delitto, la prima volta in Calabria". Corriere_della_Sera. Retrieved 25 September 2013 .10 July 1991RomeMurder of Alberica Filo della TorreA 42-year-old housewife was murdered in her own home.Solved in 2011 when DNA evidence pointed to Manuel Winston Reyes, a Filipino former employee of the family. He was released on 11 October 2021.6 May 1996ChiavariMurder of Nada CellaA 25-year-old woman who was found dead at her place of work on the morning.The case was solved in 2026.

21st century DatePlaceCaseSummaryConvictions and comments21 February 2001Novi LigureNovi Ligure murderA 41-year-old woman and her 11-year-old son were stabbed to death by her daughter and her boyfriend.Murder wrongfoots the Italian nation The Guardian Retrieved 30 September 2020.The daughter Erika De Nardo blamed the murders on immigrants but she and her boyfriend were suspected. Both were subsequently tried for the murders and convicted. They were sentenced to 16 and 14 years in prison.Teen suffocates mum News24 Retrieved 30 September 2020.2 March 2006ParmaMurder of Tommaso OnofriA 16-month old baby, was kidnapped from his family home in order to obtain a ransom, in the mistaken belief that his parents had access to significant economic resources; however, the kidnappers killed the child a few minutes after the kidnapping.The true nature of the crime emerged about a month later, when bricklayer Mario Alessi, who had previously worked at the Onofri house, and his accomplice Salvatore Raimondi, confessed to the crime and indicated to police the place where the body had been hidden. Together with Alessi and Raimondi, the bricklayer's partner, Antonella Conserva, was also sentenced.1 November 2007PerugiaMurder of Meredith KercherA 21-year-old British woman who was murdered in her bedroom while on student-exchange from the University of Leeds.Amanda Knox was convicted in a trial which was highly publicized between Knox's conviction in 2009 and her acquittal two years later. In October 2008, Rudy Guede was found guilty for the sexual assault and murder of Meredith Kercher and was sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment.11 November 2007Civitella in Val di ChianaMurder of Gabriele SandriA football fan was shot and killed by a police officer.What followed were nationwide scenes of violence.26 August 2010AvetranaMurder of Sarah ScazziFifteen-year-old Sarah Scazzi was strangled by her cousin Sabrina Misseri and her aunt Cosima Serrano, who then hid the body together with her father Michele Misseri, staging a kidnapping by a third party.29 November 2014Santa Croce CamerinaMurder of Lorys StivalAn 8-year-old boy, Lorys Andrea Stival, was strangled by his mother who staged a kidnapping.Veronica Panarello was definitively sentenced to thirty years in prison for the murder of her son.9 January 2016FlorenceMurder of Ashley Ann OlsenA 35-year-old American woman living in Florence who was strangled in her apartment in January 2016.Cheik Tidiane Diaw, a 27-year-old Senegalese national who recently entered Italy as an illegal immigrant, was convicted of murder and sentenced to 30 years in prison.29 January 2018MacerataMurder of Pamela MastropietroAn 18-year-old woman disappeared and was found dismembered inside a suitcase the next day.Innocent Oseghale, a Nigerian drug dealer, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison with 18 months of isolation in May 2019.5 March 2018FlorenceMurder of Idy DieneA Senegalese market trader was shot dead. The shooter, who was identified as Roberto Pirrone, turned himself in to the police.While the police have deemed that the shooting was not racially or politically motivated, local African immigrant communities have held protests, citing the murder as prejudiced.18 October 2018RomeMurder of Desirée MariottiniA 16-year-old girl who was drugged, raped and murdered by African migrants.Four men were convicted.26 July 2019RomeMurder of Mario Cerciello RegaAn Italian police officer who was murdered by two American students visiting Rome.In July 2024, after a retrial ordered by the Corte di Cassazione in 2023, their conviction was upheld by the Court of Appeal with reduced sentences of 15 years 2 months and 11 years 4 months respectively.25 August 2019Carpaneto PiacentinoMurder of Elisa PomarelliA 28-year-old woman who was murdered in a case which resulted in great indignation, public demonstrations, and stimulated the cultural debate on homophobia and violence against women in Italy.Massimo Sebastiani stood trial and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.29 December 2020FrassilongoMurder of Agitu Ideo GudetaAn Ethiopian farmer, entrepreneur and environmentalist was murdered.29 July 2022Civitanova MarcheMurder of Alika OgorchukwuA 39-year-old Nigerian street vendor who was murdered.27 May 2023SenagoMurder of Giulia TramontanoA 29-year-old woman who was murdered.11 November 2023VenetoMurder of Giulia CecchettinA 22-year-old woman who was murdered.

Mass murder

1859 Perugia uprising

Alcamo Marina Massacre

Bava Beccaris massacre Biscari massacre Bologna massacre Bombing of Gorla Buonvicino massacre

Caltavuturo massacre Canicattì massacre Capaci bombing Capistrello massacre Castel Volturno massacre Certosa di Farneta massacre Cesena Chilivani massacre Ciaculli massacre Cibeno massacre Circonvallazione massacre

Certosa di Farneta Foiba di Basovizza Foibe massacres

Giardinello massacre Operations Ginny I and II Guardistallo massacre

Italicus Express bombing

Lercara Friddi massacre

Monte Sant'Angelo massacre

Pescopagano massacre Peteano massacre Piazza della Loggia bombing Piedmontese Easter Pizzolungo bombing Portella della Ginestra massacre Porzûs massacre

Red Wedding (Perugia) Revolt of Genoa Revolt of Montefalcione Rovetta massacre

Salussola massacre Samarate massacre Schio massacre Sicilian Vespers

Train 904 bombing 1922 Turin massacre Turin Massacre (1864)

Via Carini massacre Via Palestro massacre Viale Lazio massacre Villarbasse massacre

Serial killers DatesPlaceCaseSummaryConvictions and comments1971–1989UdineMonster of UdineAn unidentified serial killer who killed at least four victims between the years 1971 and 1989.Perpetrator never identified1984–1985Torre CanneNorbert PoehlkeA German police officer who killed his wife and eldest son before fleeing the country with his younger son. He stayed on the run for three days before killing his child and himself while hiding in Italy.Suicide1985–1995ModenaMonster of ModenaAn unidentified serial killer who murdered at least eight prostitutes and drug addicts from 1985 to 1995.Perpetrator never identified1996MeranoFerdinand GamperA serial killer from South Tyrol killed six people in Merano in February and March 1996.Gamper committed suicide before he was convicted.1998–2004MilanBeasts of SatanA group of Italian serial killers, who were tried and convicted of a series of suspected Satanic ritual murders between 1998 and 2004.Investigating the 'death metal' murders Sam Bagnall BBC News 23 November 2005Multiple convictions

Unsolved murder cases DatePlaceCaseSummaryConvictions and comments14 June 1497RomeGiovanni Borgia, 2nd Duke of GandíaThe second child of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei was murdered.Johannes Burchardus Diary pp. 88-90Never solved15 June 1927GemonaOttavio BottecchiaThe first Italian winner of the Tour de France was found injured and unconscious by a roadside and died a few days later.The exact circumstances of his accident remain a mystery9 April 1953RomeDeath of Wilma MontesiA 21-year-old woman whose body was discovered near Rome.Unsolved as of 202624 July 1971MilanMurder of Simonetta FerreroA 26-year-old woman who was found dead in a women's bathroom at the Catholic University of Milan.Unsolved as of 202612 May 1977RomeDeath of Giorgiana MasiA student-activist who was killed during a protest.Unsolved as of 20267 January 1978 RomeAcca Larentia killingsTwo teenagers shot and killed in a case of double homicide.Unsolved as of 202618 March 1978MilanKilling of Fausto and IaioTwo left-wing activists were shot dead after a street confrontation in Milan during the Years of Lead.Unsolved as of 202622 February 1980RomeMurder of Valerio VerbanoAn activist from the Autonomia Operaia who was shot dead.Unsolved as of 202617 October 1980GiarreGiarre murderA double homicide that shocked Italy and helped spur the Italian homosexual rights movement.Inspired the 2023 film Fireworks, directed by Giuseppe Fiorello.29 November 1980SarnanoDeath of Jeanette Bishop and Gabriella GuerinTwo women who went missing and were later found deceased.Unsolved as of 202627 April 1986Lamezia TermeMurder of LolitaAn Italian pop singer who went missing while on route attend a musical event. She was found dead the following morning, murdered by stabbing, and with her body disfigured in several parts.Enzo Giannelli. "Lolita" in Gino Castaldo (edited by). Dizionario della canzone italiana. Curcio, 1990.Unsolved as of 202610 April 1994RomeMurder of Antonella Di VeroliA 47-year-old woman who was killed in her home in Rome.Unsolved as of 202624 March 1995FlorenceKilling of Gianfranco CuccuiniA 65-year-old pensioner was killed inside a bookshop.Unsolved as of 20265 September 1995GenoaMurder of Luigia BorrelliA 42-year-old former nurse who also worked as a prostitute was murdered in the alley where she worked.The case was reopened in 2023.

References

List of major crimes in Italy

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