Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
ERBA (COMO) – A decisive turn has marked the investigation into the tragic death of Patrizia Monteleone, found lifeless on 27 September in the swimming pool at her ex-husband’s home in Erba, in the province of Como. The Carabinieri of the Como Provincial Command have carried out a precautionary measure of imprisonment against the victim’s ex-husband, 76-year-old Carmine Civitillo, on charges of voluntary homicide.
The victim, who had a severe disability and serious mobility difficulties, had been living for several months in the same house as her ex-husband, together with their daughter and the daughter’s partner.
The reconstruction of the murder
The version initially given by the 76-year-old – who had told rescuers, his son and investigators that he had returned home and happened to find his ex-wife’s lifeless body in the water – has been completely disproved by the investigative activities coordinated by the Como Public Prosecutor’s Office and conducted by the Investigative Unit and the Como Company of the Carabinieri.
Technical and scientific checks, forensic medical findings, analysis of CCTV footage and telephone wiretaps have made it possible to clarify the exact sequence of events on the morning of 27 September:
- The assault: The suspect is alleged to have forcibly covered his ex-wife’s mouth to stop her from screaming.
- Pushed into the water: He is then said to have pushed her to the edge of the pool while she was in her wheelchair, before throwing her into the water, causing her to suffocate and die.
- Attempt to mislead: Immediately after the act, the man pretended to have discovered the body by chance, first calling his non-resident son and then the 118 emergency services and the Carabinieri.
Arrest in Benevento province
The Public Prosecutor’s Office, considering the body of circumstantial evidence solid and compelling on the basis of on-site inspections and technical experiments carried out by experts, requested and obtained from the preliminary investigations judge of the Como Court the precautionary measure of imprisonment.
The Carabinieri traced and arrested Carmine Civitillo in Benevento province, his place of origin, where the man had moved in the weeks following the murder.
