Lorena Isceri, 45, thrown from motorway bridge in Florence – ex arrested and dead
Lorena Isceri was kidnapped by her ex Federico Vella and thrown from a motorway bridge outside Florence. She is the seventh victim of intimate partner violence in Italy in three weeks.
Italy's femicide wave: Lorena, 45, killed outside Florence
Lorena Isceri, 45, was kidnapped on Thursday afternoon by her former partner Federico Vella, 36, and subsequently thrown from a motorway bridge outside Florence. This is reported by Expressen, citing The Guardian and Italian media outlets.
According to television channel SkyTg24, Vella hid in a garage, attacked Lorena Isceri and locked her in the boot of his car. From the boot, she reportedly managed to call the police, but by the time the authorities traced her phone, it was too late – she had already been thrown from the bridge. Vella took his own life after the murder, according to SkyTg24.
Police believe the act was premeditated. Bundles of cable ties and silver tape are said to have been found in the perpetrator's car.
"She was afraid of him. She lived with us during the summer because she was so afraid," Lorena Isceri's mother told assembled press outside the 45-year-old's home, according to La Nazione.
The murder is the seventh in a series of cases in which women are suspected to have been killed by a current or former partner in Italy – all within the span of three weeks. This comes despite the trend in the first half of the year going in the right direction, with a reduced number of femicide cases in the country.
The Guardian writes that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her coalition government have pledged a tougher approach to violence against women. Sentences have been increased for sexual violence and stalking, among other offences, and femicide has been introduced as a separate crime category with life imprisonment as a possible sentence. However, the policy has drawn criticism for lacking preventative measures.
Source: Expressen