Simone Pianetti was born on February 7, 1858, in Camerata Cornello, a small town in the Lombardy region of the Austrian Empire. When he was just an infant, this area became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Growing up, Simone had a troubled relationship with his father. At a young age, he tried to kill his father over a dispute about inheritance. For reasons that remain unclear, he was not charged with any crime after this incident. He made an agreement with the local chief of the Carabinieri and left Italy to live in the United States.

After spending several years in the U.S., Simone returned to Italy, with his father paying for his ticket back home. He settled in his hometown and married a woman named Carlotta. Together, they had seven children. To support his family, Pianetti opened a small restaurant where dancing was allowed. However, this brought trouble because the local parish priest and other church officials disapproved of dancing. Due to their influence, the municipality shut down his restaurant.

Simone soon opened an electric-powered mill, but it also failed to succeed. He became increasingly isolated in his community. Pianetti did not attend church on Sundays, which set him apart from the other villagers. He began to believe that everyone in Camerata Cornello hated him. 

On the morning of July 13, 1914, Simone Pianetti went on a shooting spree in his village. He used a rifle to kill seven people. The victims were Domenico Morali, a doctor; Abramo Giudici, the manager of the municipality; Valeria Giudici, the daughter of Abramo; Giovanni Ghilardi, a shoemaker; Stefano Filippi, a priest; Giovanni Giupponi, a layman; and Caterina Milesi, a farmer.

After the killings, Pianetti fled the village and made his way to Monte Cancervo. He hid there for several days. During this time, a search was underway to find him. Around 200 people, including members of the Carabinieri, Polizia di Stato, and a company of the 78th infantry regiment, looked for him. Pianetti shot at some Carabinieri to escape into the nearby mountains, particularly near the villages of Olmo al Brembo and Cassiglio.

Despite ongoing searches, he was never arrested. His body was also never found. His actions received some sympathy among certain groups, particularly Italian and American anarchists, who viewed him as rebelling against the established authority and its perceived intolerance.