Pierina Buffon, femicide suspected following stalking report in Varese province
Fulvio Ielmini, 73, is now under investigation for femicide in the case of the death of his former partner Pierina Buffon, who died in a head-on collision on the Cassano Magnago bypass. Prosecutors allege that the impact was deliberate, following a relationship that ended with stalking complaints.
Femicide hypothesis in the bypass accident
According to Il Fatto Quotidiano - Cronaca, the Public Prosecutor's Office of Busto Arsizio has changed the charges against Fulvio Ielmini, 73, from dangerous driving causing death to femicide. Ielmini is under investigation for the death of his former partner Pierina Buffon, 69, who died last Thursday in a head-on collision on the Cassano Magnago bypass in Varese province. Investigators believe the man deliberately caused the impact with the Jaguar he was driving, crossing into the opposite lane precisely as Buffon's car was approaching. Ielmini is hospitalised and under guard at Varese hospital, where he was taken following the accident, awaiting surgery on his left leg.
The new charge emerged following initial investigations into a case that had aroused suspicions from the outset. Medical cause of death had not been ruled out, but investigators now favour the hypothesis of an intentional crash. The Public Prosecutor's Office has ordered a search of Ielmini's home; investigative checks must clarify the exact circumstances and the man's intentions at the time of the accident.
The ended relationship and stalking complaints
Buffon and Ielmini had been in a relationship for eight years, which ended in June at Pierina Buffon's request. According to the family and their lawyer Cinzia Botta, who represented the victim, the ex-partner had not accepted the end of the relationship. Family members reported threats, rows and stalking. At the end of July a report was filed with the judicial authorities for alleged harassing behaviour. Lawyer Botta confirmed that the matter was already known: "At the end of July we had already reported Mr Ielmini's behaviour to the judicial authorities," she explained, emphasising that a memorandum was being prepared to be submitted to the Public Prosecutor's Office to establish the legal classification of the offence.
One of the woman's sons told Tg3 that his mother "was chased by her ex who took the law into his own hands. She was waited for and also followed, as shown by the videos I have on me." Following Buffon's death, her children provided investigators with the information they possessed and requested that events in the weeks preceding the crash also be reconstructed.
Surveys and ongoing investigations
On the morning of Saturday 17 October, officers from the local police of Cassano Magnago carried out new surveys to reconstruct the accident in detail. According to the reported sequence of events, the Jaguar driven by Ielmini crossed into the opposite lane as Buffon's car was approaching. Paramedics were unable to do anything for the woman except confirm her death at the scene.
In the coming days an autopsy and a biomechanical consultation are expected, examinations essential to clarify the circumstances of the collision and to verify the prosecution's hypothesis. Ielmini's defence lawyer Angelo Luini highlighted that his client was in a confused state and that it was a priority to establish his mental condition. Lawyer Botta stated that "Mrs Buffon's children want to get to the bottom of this matter and are asking for the truth about what happened."
Source: Il Fatto Quotidiano - Cronaca