Murder of Pamela Mastropietro
Pamela Mastropietro was an 18-year-old Italian woman who was last seen on 29 January 2018. She was murdered soon after in Macerata, Italy. The suspects are three Nigerian migrants, who as of 7 July 2018 were still in custody.[2] The murder caused public outrage, anger, and anti-immigrant sentiment in Macerata.
Murder of Pamela Mastropietro | |
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![]() Pamela Mastropietro | |
Born | 23 August 1999[1] Rome, Italy |
Died | 30 January 2018 18) Macerata, Marche, Italy | (aged
Cause of death | Knife wounds leading to blood loss and suffocation |
Arrested | Oseghale Desmond Lucky Lucky Awelima |
Background
Mastropietro was born and lived in Rome. She was 18 years old, and had moved away from the recovery community for drug addiction where she was a guest in Marche Region, Corridonia, on 29 January. Her mother stated that Mastropietro began abusing drugs after dating a Romanian man, and was living in a drug treatment centre at the time of her death.[2] When she left the community, she did not take her mobile phone and identification documents. She is believed to have sought drugs in Diaz Gardens, a known gathering place for dealers, addicts, and criminals.
Murder and investigation
Mastropietro's body was found severely mutilated, hidden in two suitcases; though she was believed to be a murder victim, the exact cause of her death had not been determined as of February 2018.[3] Soon after, Italian police said they found her bloodied clothing at the home of Innocent Oseghale, a Nigerian who moved to Italy in 2014 but who had dropped out of a refugee assistance program and begun selling drugs.[2][4][5] Oseghale, described as "a 29-year-old Nigerian with an expired residency permit and a criminal record of drug dealing," was arrested soon after the body and clothing were found. Along with Oseghale, police arrested Desmond Lucky and Lucky Awelima.[6]
On 7 June 2018, the magistrate of Macerata, Giovanni Maria Manzoni, dropped orders of detention on charges of murder, vilification, and destruction and concealment of corpse, against Awelima and Lucky.[7] Awelima and Lucky remained in jail for heroin dealing.
Matteo Salvini, the newly-elected deputy prime minister and interior minister, has often mentioned the Mastropietro murder as part of his hard-on-crime policies and skepticism towards immigration.[2]
Alessandro Meluzzi, a psychiatrist and criminologist, has alleged that the murder was associated with Nigerian organized crime gangs.[8]
See also
References
- "Oggi Pamela Mastropietro avrebbe compiuto 19 anni - Picchio News - Il giornale tra la gente per la gente". PicchioNews.
- Jason Horowitz (July 7, 2018) This Italian Town Once Welcomed Migrants. Now, It’s a Symbol for Right-Wing Politics, The New York Times, accessed 28 July 2018
- "'Stop the violence': Italians march to remember woman found dismembered in Macerata". www.thelocal.it. 7 February 2018.
- Il Fatto Quotidiano, 31 January 2018.
- Corriere 21 February 2018.
- Jones, Thomas (13 February 2018). "Fischia il vento". London Review of Books blog. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
- "Pamela:revocato carcere per omicidio a 2". ansa.it. 7 June 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ""Perché le hanno mangiato il cuore": Pamela, parla il criminologo: la ricostruzione mostruosa sui nigeriani / Foto". www.liberoquotidiano.it.