'Understandably human': Italian judge to man who machine-gunned wife, daughter
What's the story
The Modena Court of Assizes in Italy has reduced the sentence of a man who murdered his wife and daughter, citing "understandably human motives." Salvatore Montefusco, 70, was convicted for the murders of his 47-year-old wife Gabriela Trandafir and their 22-year-old daughter Renata in June 2022. However, instead of receiving a life sentence, as requested by the Prosecutor's Office, Montefusco received only 30 due to "the human comprehensibility of the reasons that pushed the perpetrator to commit the crime."
Sentence justification
Court cites 'nefarious family dynamics' in sentencing decision
The court justified its decision by citing Montefusco's clean criminal record and the "nefarious family dynamics" that allegedly triggered him into committing the murders. The judges concluded that he would not have carried out the killings if "not driven by the nefarious family dynamics that had been triggered over time," reports said. A 200-page ruling detailed how ongoing family tensions led to Montefusco's "profound discomfort, humiliation, and enormous frustration."
Case details
Montefusco's mental state and previous threats considered
The court characterized Montefusco's mental state as an "emotional and existential blackout" after his daughter repeatedly asked him to leave the family home. The Modena Prosecutor's Office had requested life imprisonment following the brutal assassination, but the judges on October 9 rejected premeditation, abject, and futile motives. The sentence reveals how the shooting occurred after Montefusco had repeated disagreements with the two women, resulting in mutual complaints being filed.
Legal criticism
Man threatened to kill the pair before
The judges allegedly considered it "plausible" that when Montefusco's daughter repeatedly told him she was leaving the family home, it "caused in his soul..emotional and existential blackout that would have led him to run to get the gun." The weapon was reportedly found just a few meters away, and in a fit of rage, he grabbed it and killed both his daughter and wife. According to Corriere Di Bologna, Montefusco had also previously threatened to kill the pair.