Monster of Florence

The Monster of Florence is the unidentified killer linked to at least seven attacks on couples near Florence between 1968 and 1985, in which 16 people were killed.

Connect

1968 Signa murders: The killing of Barbara Locci and Antonio Lo Bianco near Signa, Tuscany, in 1968. This double murder was later connected to the Monster of Florence case through the same weapon.
Serial murder: The unlawful killing of multiple people in separate events by the same offender over time. The Florence attacks were investigated as a series because of recurring patterns and ballistic links.
Pietro Pacciani: An Italian farmer convicted in 1994 of several Monster of Florence murders; his conviction was overturned on appeal. His prosecution became the case’s most prominent attempt to identify the killer.
Unsolved homicide: A killing for which investigators have not established a legally confirmed perpetrator. No conviction has established who committed the series of murders.
1974 Borgo San Lorenzo murders: The killing of Pasquale Gentilcore and Stefania Pettini near Borgo San Lorenzo in 1974. It was the first later attack attributed to the killer after the 1968 murders.
Ballistics: The study of firearms, ammunition, and the movement of projectiles. Comparisons of recovered bullets connected several murders to one firearm.
Mario Vanni: An Italian postal worker convicted in connection with several Monster of Florence murders. He was convicted as an accomplice in the investigation’s later, controversial theory.
Confession: A statement in which a person admits responsibility for a crime. Statements by suspects and witnesses never yielded an uncontested account of the killings.
1981 Calenzano murders: The killing of Giovanni Foggi and Carmela De Nuccio near Calenzano in 1981. The attack included the removal of body parts, a recurring feature of later crimes.
Crime scene: A place where a crime occurred or where evidence related to it is found. Scene details helped investigators compare attacks and assess whether they shared an offender.