Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
REGGIO EMILIA – A premeditated plan to suffocate a relative and seize his property portfolio, valued at more than €300,000. On this charge the Carabinieri placed a 76-year-old man from Reggio Emilia under house arrest, suspected of murdering his 74-year-old cousin, who had a severe disability and was a resident in a care home (RSA).
The incident dates back to 27 June 2026, when the victim died inside the facility after choking on a custard-filled doughnut.
Investigations: from earlier attempts to the crime in the care home
The elderly man suffered from a severe form of dysphagia that strictly prevented him from eating solid food, forcing him to follow an exclusively liquid diet.
Investigations and checks coordinated by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Reggio Emilia established that the delivery of the box of pastries was not the result of a fatal mistake. The investigators reconstructed a premeditated and sustained course of conduct: the suspect is alleged to have repeatedly tried to have cakes and sweets delivered to his relative, bypassing the internal staff’s checks at the care home to deflect suspicion.
The charges and aggravating circumstances alleged by investigators
The arrested man also held the formal position of legal guardian of the victim.
The judiciary has charged him with voluntary homicide with serious aggravating circumstances:
- Premeditation of the crime.
- Abuse of the powers and duties inherent in the role of legal guardian.
- Crime committed against a person with certified disability in a care facility.
- Exploiting the victim’s reduced ability to defend himself due to his state of health and the context of hospitalisation.
The suspect is currently under the precautionary measure of house arrest, pending further judicial proceedings.
It should be noted that the suspect is presumed innocent until any final conviction.
