Bio

Danilo Restivo was born in April 03,1972 in Sicily, Italy. His family later moved to Potenza, a city in southern Italy, where his father took a job setting up a prestigious library. As a child, Restivo was known to be socially awkward. He often attempted to arrange dates with girls by claiming he had gifts for them. When girls rejected his advances, he harassed them with phone calls and would play the music from a movie about a serial killer.

In 1993, when Restivo was 21 years old, he became infatuated with a 16-year-old girl named Elisa Claps. Claps, who was the daughter of a local tobacconist, eventually agreed to meet Restivo at the Church of the Most Holy Trinity in Potenza. On September 12, 1993, she went to the church with a friend, but she did not return home afterward. Her brother tried to locate her by contacting Restivo's family, but they claimed he was out of town and did not know her whereabouts.

Claps' family reported her missing, but at first, police treated the case as a low priority. When questioned, Restivo stated that Claps had left the church while he stayed behind to pray. He explained a cut on his hand as an accident but later said he was in Napoli that day. The investigation faced many challenges, including a lack of evidence and a refusal from the priest to search the church thoroughly.

Restivo had a history of troubling behavior. He was known to police due to several incidents where women reported having their hair cut without consent. In 1995, he was convicted in Italy for giving false information related to his injury on the day Claps disappeared. Despite the investigation into Claps’ case, she was never found until many years later.

In May 2002, Restivo moved to England after meeting a woman online. He lived in Bournemouth, where he continued to exhibit concerning behavior. He was observed stalking women and was later linked to the murder of another woman.

Murder Story

On September 12, 1993, Elisa Claps was 16 years old when she disappeared after meeting Danilo Restivo at a church in Potenza, Italy. She was last seen leaving the church with him, but she never returned home. Her brother reported her missing, and the investigation began. Initially, police faced difficulties, as several leads did not lead them to uncover her whereabouts. Restivo claimed that Elisa had left the church while he stayed behind to pray. This explanation, along with a cut on his hand that he attributed to an accident, raised suspicion, but there was insufficient evidence at the time to charge him.

Restivo was known to authorities for improperly interacting with women and had previous encounters where he was suspected of hair cutting incidents. However, he managed to evade serious charges. Years passed, and Elisa's case went cold until, in March 2010, her body was finally found hidden in the church's loft, covered by old tiles. Forensic examinations later revealed that her hair had been cut post-mortem, and evidence collected pointed to Restivo as her murderer.

On November 12, 2002, in Bournemouth, England, Restivo murdered Heather Barnett, a 48-year-old mother and seamstress. He had moved to England, and lived across the street from her. On the day of her murder, Barnett's children found her body upon returning home from school. She had been brutally bludgeoned and mutilated. A lock of hair, which belonged to someone else, was placed in her hand, while some of her own hair was found nearby.

Following Barnett's murder, Restivo was brought in for questioning but initially released. Over time, police began to see him as the prime suspect due to circumstantial evidence and his peculiar behavior. Through surveillance, officers observed him engaging in unsettling activities, including stalking women. Eventually, a DNA match from evidence collected linked him closely to Barnett's murder, leading to his arrest in May 2010.

In 2011, Restivo was found guilty of murdering Barnett, and was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 40 years. His connection to the murder of Elisa Claps was also established, resulting in a conviction in absentia in Italy later that same year.