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Italy's most notorious serial killer terrorized Florence for decades with a series of brutal murders. Yet it's still unknown who he was. Now a new miniseries is exploring several theories about the anonymous killer's true identity.
"The Monster of Florence," which is streaming on Netflix, offers a dramatic look at the murders decades ago, following several suspects in the case.
Dubbed by the media as the "Monster of Florence," he killed at least 16 people between the 1960s and 1980s, mainly targeting young couples. Despite numerous arrests and convictions, the case remains officially unsolved.
How did the murders start?
The series of murders of the "Monster of Florence" began in August 1968, when a housewife named Barbara Loci and Antonio Lo Bianco, with whom she was having an extramarital affair, were shot to death with a .22 caliber pistol on the outskirts of the city.
The couple were attacked in their parked car, while Loçi's 6-year-old son was sleeping in the back seat. Barbara's husband, Stefano Mele, was convicted of their murders in 1970, but was later acquitted, as the killings continued while he was in prison.
The killer struck again in September 1974, killing teenage couple Pasquale Gentilcore and Stefania Petini. They were found shot and stabbed to death in Gentilcore's car, which was parked near a club in northeast Florence.
Petini's body had been sexually mutilated, as would happen with many other female victims of the "Monster of Florence."
When did the police realize there was a serial killer?
As the gruesome murders continued, the inhabitants of Florence and the surrounding area were gripped by panic. Several years passed before the killer reappeared in 1981, attacking two engaged couples: Giovanni Foxi and Carmela De Nuccio, and Stefano Baldi and Susanna Cambi.
The following June, mechanic Paolo Mainardi and seamstress Antonella Migliorini were found shot and stabbed to death. Although Mainardi was still alive when police arrived at the scene, he died in hospital from his injuries. Their deaths prompted authorities to link all the cases.
Were all the victims couples?
While most of the victims were romantic couples, there was one exception. German students Wilhelm Meyer and Jens-Uwe Rysch, both young men, were shot and killed in September 1983 while sleeping in their car.
Authorities suspected the killer mistook Rysh for a woman because of his long hair. The "Monster of Florence" soon resumed his pattern of actions, killing another couple in July 1984.
This time, the unfortunate victims were student Claudio Stefanac and bartender Pia Xhilda Rontini. They were shot and stabbed in Stefanac's car. Rontini's body had one of her breasts removed, while her genitals were severely mutilated.
When did the "Monster of Florence" murders stop?
The last known murders occurred in September 1985, when a young French couple, Jean-Michel Kraveishvili and Nadine Mauriot, were shot and stabbed while camping south of Florence. After their bodies were found, the prosecutor's office received a package containing a taunting letter from the killer, as well as part of Mauriot's chest.
Who was convicted of the murders?
In addition to Meles, many other suspects were arrested and convicted of the brutal murders. But the most notorious was Italian laborer Pietro Paciani. A convicted rapist and murderer, Paciani had already served 13 years in prison when police arrested him in 1994 for the “Monster of Florence” murders.
The only physical evidence against him was a .22 caliber bullet found in the garden of his home. However, Paciani was convicted of 7 out of 8 double murders, before his conviction was overturned two years later, in 1996.
A new trial was ordered, but he died before he could be retried. Convinced that Paciani had accomplices, the police arrested his friends Mario Van, Giancarlo Lotti, and Giovanni Fagi in 1998.
Vani had been a witness at Paciani's trial, during which he claimed that the two men were simply “drinking buddies.” Vani and Loti were ultimately found guilty, after Loti confessed, admitting guilt, and in 2000 they were each convicted of 4 of the 8 double murders.
Will the case be reinvestigated?
In March 2022, Valter Biscotti, the lawyer for three of the victims' families, claimed there were "inconsistencies" in Loti's account, and called for the case to be reopened. "We are seeking the truth, a new investigation, because we are convinced that there are elements in the old case files that have been wrongly overlooked," Biscotti told AFP.
Two years later, in August 2024, expert Lorenzo Iovino studied DNA analysis from crime scenes and found the same DNA group on bullets found in three of the double murders.
While the origin of the DNA sample is unknown, it could be the key to solving the case. The new four-part Netflix series, created by Leonardo Fazoli and Stefano Solima, is a dramatized version of the investigation into the case, which remains open./ Pamphlet
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