ITALIAN MAN ALLEGEDLY KILLS GIRLFRIEND AFTER ARGUMENT OVER ANOTHER WOMAN’S PHOTO
A 53-year-old Italian man has been arrested after allegedly stabbing his 36-year-old Colombian girlfriend to death following a heated argument reportedly triggered by a photograph of another woman found on his mobile phone.
The suspect, identified as Marco Panichi, allegedly killed his girlfriend, Grey Noralba Sanmartin Villalba, on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at an apartment in Vergiate, near Varese in northern Italy.
According to Italian media reports, the couple’s argument allegedly erupted after the woman discovered a photograph of another woman on Panichi’s old mobile phone.
The confrontation reportedly turned violent, leaving the 36-year-old woman with multiple stab wounds to her body and neck.
Investigators later discovered her lifeless body on the bedroom floor, with a kitchen knife believed to have been used in the killing found nearby.
Following the incident, Panichi reportedly left the apartment and travelled hundreds of kilometres to Avezzano, in the Abruzzo region, where he surrendered to police and confessed to killing his girlfriend.
However, through his lawyer, Panichi has claimed that he acted in self-defence, alleging that his girlfriend attacked him first with a knife. His claims remain under investigation.
In a particularly heartbreaking twist, Italian media reported that Panichi had shared a photograph of himself and his girlfriend on social media on October 19, just three days before her death.
The suspect remains in custody as Italian authorities continue investigating the circumstances surrounding the killing.
An autopsy is expected to provide further details about the woman’s death.