Bio

Gaspare Zinnanti was born in 1961 in Palermo, Italy. He grew up in a difficult environment. His father died in a car accident when he was very young, so he was raised by his mother, Maria Letizia. Due to financial struggles, he spent much of his childhood in a boarding school and had little contact with his mom as he got older.

As a teenager, he faced many challenges. He often got involved with bad friends, which led him into a world of drugs and crime. By the time he was fourteen, he had already begun using drugs. His life became a struggle with addiction, and he even joined the military in an attempt to turn things around. However, he soon fell back into old habits, leading to a troubled adulthood.

Zinnanti had a series of unstable relationships and jobs. He tried to marry, but the marriage did not last. He had frequent conflicts at work with his bosses, which made it hard for him to keep jobs. His life was marked by drug use, including heroin and hashish. Besides that, he engaged in petty thefts and even robbery.

At one point, Zinnanti spent six years in prison for various crimes. After his release, he often found himself homeless, sleeping on benches at the Central Station in Milan or staying with friends. Despite these hardships, he was known to have some charm and good looks.

In the early 1990s, he met Francesca Coelli, a divorced former teacher who was significantly older than him. They began a relationship and eventually moved in together. Although he had a preference for relationships with men, he continued living with Francesca. Their relationship was complicated and mostly physical.

Zinnanti’s early life was filled with ups and downs. Despite the years of chaos, he did not show signs of severe mental instability until the late 1990s. His struggles with addiction, crime, and relationships shaped the man he became.

Murder Story

Gaspare Zinnanti committed a series of murders in March 1997 in Milan, Italy. His first victim was Francesca Coelli, a 52-year-old woman with whom he had a relationship. On March 21, 1997, Zinnanti killed her by striking her on the head with a hammer. After killing Francesca, he fled to Rome but returned to Milan the following day.

In Milan, he targeted Genoveffa Nuzzo at the Sondrio metro station, where he pushed her onto the tracks as a train approached. Genoveffa survived but suffered serious injuries. Later that same day, Zinnanti visited Alvaro Calvi, a 58-year-old retired sailor and his friend. Zinnanti killed Alvaro in a similar manner, hitting him on the head with a hammer. Alvaro's body was discovered by his brother-in-law the next day.

Zinnanti then moved on to a construction site in Milan, where he met Vincenzo Zenzola, a 43-year-old drug addict. After spending the night together, Zinnanti killed Vincenzo as well, striking him in the head. Zinnanti later confessed to all three murders to the police, revealing a disturbing rationale for his actions. He believed he was purifying their souls, stating that he loved his victims and wanted to spare them from suffering.

Zinnanti was arrested in March 1997 while attempting to rob a journalist. He was later found to be suffering from severe mental illness and was interned in a psychiatric hospital. Zinnanti committed suicide by hanging himself in July 2001 while being held in the hospital.