Colombian woman from Aracataca stabbed 15 times and killed in Italy: family demands justice
Grey Noralba Sanmartín Villalba, 36, was found dead in Vergiate with at least 15 wounds. Her partner, Marco Panichi, turned himself in to the carabinieri.
Colombian woman living in Italy dies from 15 stab wounds; her partner surrendered after travelling 700 kilometres
Grey Noralba Sanmartín Villalba, a 36-year-old Colombian from the settlement of Buenos Aires in Aracataca, Magdalena, was found dead on 22 October in a flat in Cuirone, a locality in the municipality of Vergiate in the Italian province of Varese. Italian authorities discovered her body in a bedroom with at least 15 wounds caused by a bladed weapon; next to her was a 33-centimetre kitchen knife. According to infobae.com, her partner, Marco Panichi, a 53-year-old Italian citizen, surrendered to the carabinieri in Avezzano after travelling more than 700 kilometres from the crime scene.
Panichi confessed the act to his father before presenting himself at a police station. He remains detained as legal proceedings continue in Italy.
"She was a cheerful woman, gutsy, always moving forward"
Sanmartín Villalba grew up with her family in Gaira, Santa Marta. She was the youngest of five siblings—three women and two men—and lost her father when she was 10 years old. From then on, according to her friend Pierine Peñaranda, a member of the Taganga Te Toca collective and the Pescando Espíritu Foundation, she maintained a close bond with her mother, whom she called every day.
"She was a cheerful woman, gutsy, always moving forward, hard-working. She loved her children," Peñaranda told Infobae Colombia.
The woman had lived in Italy for more than a decade. There she married an Italian citizen, had two children and worked in a restaurant. Following her separation from her husband about two years ago, they maintained arrangements for the care of the minors. "She knew he was a safe place for her children and he knew she was too. They had a good relationship for the children's sake," Peñaranda explained.
The relationship with Panichi had begun less than a year ago. The couple lived between Ancona, where Sanmartín Villalba resided with her children, and other places in Italy.
The last call and warning signs
The last conversation between Peñaranda and Grey took place on 20 October. Two days later the crime occurred. Those close to her in Colombia learned of the news on 24 October.
"We thought she was living a honeymoon. She didn't tell us anything," Peñaranda commented from Santa Marta.
However, the activist pointed out that people close to Grey in Italy had reportedly warned of Panichi's behaviour that was beginning to concern them. This information will need to be verified as part of the judicial investigation.
Grey had confirmed her attendance at her sister's wedding, scheduled for 11 November 2026. She did not attend.
The accused's version and the family's doubts
Panichi's defence maintains that the accused claimed Grey had attacked him first with a knife during an argument. This version will need to be contrasted with the autopsy, forensic examinations, statements from neighbours and the analysis of both their electronic devices.
Peñaranda rejected this hypothesis. "He says he acted in self-defence. But that defence, on her body, represents 15 wounds from a 33-centimetre knife, where most were to the neck," she said.
The victim's friend also questioned Panichi's departure from the home before his surrender. "He had time to tamper with the crime scene and then gave just one account, in front of a person who can no longer respond because she is dead," she stated.
The children, the body and the consular request
Sanmartín Villalba's two children—a 10-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy—live in Italy with their father. Their mother and siblings remain in Colombia. Faced with this situation, those close to her reached a preliminary agreement: once the investigation concludes, the body will be cremated and the ashes divided between the two countries.
"They won't release the body yet, because Grace's body has to speak. There are many inconsistencies," Peñaranda said.
The Colombian Consulate in Milan contacted Peñaranda after she circulated a video requesting institutional support. The activist facilitated the contact details of the victim's family members so they could receive direct information about the case and consular actions. Among the family's requests is the possibility of accessing hearings of the judicial proceedings, learning of their developments and monitoring the decisions of Italian authorities.
Peñaranda also indicated that they approached the women's secretariats of the Santa Marta municipal administration and the Magdalena departmental government to request public statements, family support and actions with diplomatic authorities.
Vigil in Santa Marta on 28 October
The Pescando Espíritu Foundation, the Taganga Te Toca collective, Poderosas y Libres, organisations of Afro-descendant women and Grey's family members called for a symbolic vigil in Santa Marta on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, from 4:30 p.m. onwards in Bolívar Square, in front of the Gold Museum.
The call aims to honour the memory of the woman and demand that the case does not go unpunished.
Source: Google News CO — Crime