Femicide on the A1: Autopsy Points to the Victim's Former Partner
Preliminary findings show that Lorena Isceri was still alive when she fell from the viaduct
Barberino di Mugello (FI) – The preliminary results of the autopsy in the case of Lorena Isceri, who was killed on the A1 highway, are now available: According to the Florence Institute of Forensic Medicine, the 45-year-old was still alive when her former partner pushed her off a viaduct in Mugello. The cause of death is believed to be injuries sustained from the fall, which was approximately 25 meters.
The suspected perpetrator, 36-year-old Federico Vella, had intercepted the woman on the afternoon of September 3 as she was driving toward the highway and, shortly thereafter, pushed her off the bridge before jumping to his death himself about half an hour after the incident. Already in the days that followed, Investigators have begun looking into suspicions of a planned crime, after they found cable ties, a hammer, a pair of scissors, and a tarp in the suspect's car.
The mother of the victim has since spoken publicly about several messages she received from Vella on the day of the incident. He had written to her, calling her “treacherous,” and told her late in the afternoon that her daughter was dead. According to her account, there had already been threatening behavior months earlier: Vella had lain down in front of her daughter’s car to prevent a breakup, and had also repeatedly sent her messages during a family vacation in Apulia in August.
The Florence Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating Vella for femicide with the aggravating circumstance of premeditation, as well as for unlawful detention with intent to kill. Pretrial detention is no longer an option, as the alleged perpetrator died immediately after the crime; the ongoing investigation is aimed at fully reconstructing the sequence of events. According to the medical examiner’s office, the final autopsy report is not expected to be available for about three months.
The case has reignited a debate in Italy about protecting women from violent ex-partners after it emerged that Vella's previous threats and assaults had never been reported to the police.
