A 54-year-old man killed his wife and two children aged 5 and 16 in Altavilla Milicia (Palermo). Another 17-year-old daughter managed to save herself. After the crime, the man called the police and was found in Casteldaccia where he was arrested. The soldiers of the operations department are reconstructing what happened. There are also Res. on site. The massacre was apparently committed in recent days.
The killer is called Giovanni Barreca. The victims are Antonella Salamone and her children Kevin, 16, and Emanuel, 5. The crime took place in the town, in Altavilla Milicia, in via Reggia Trazzera Marina di Granatelli.
Giovanni Barreca would be a religious fanatic. According to some rumors, a couple of acquaintances were also involved in the crime. Of Antonella Salamone’s body, only some parts were found buried in the land near the couple’s home in Altavilla Milicia. According to what we learn, the woman was burned and buried. The crime would be particularly brutal: one of the murdered children would have been tortured and strangled with chains.
Video Massacre in the family in the Palermo area, the relatives of the victims: ‘Unimaginable’
The sect lead is currently one of the hypotheses being examined by investigators. Among the suspicions currently being examined by investigators is that the man may have also acted out of membership in any sects or groups of religious fanaticism.
Barreca, as it emerged, had economic problems. The wife was followed by social workers from the Municipality of Altavilla Milicia who, however, assure that they never felt any inconvenience, other than financial, in the family. Antonella Salamone, described as a “sweet and kind” woman, had done some cleaning work in the Town Hall offices on behalf of the municipal administration which supported the couple by letting them work.
“We can’t understand how all this was possible. We knew about arguments like there are in all families but we couldn’t think that what happened could happen”, say the woman’s aunt and grandmother, who arrived from their town of origin, Aragon, as soon as they heard the news of the massacre. “He was very religious. He worked a lot. She was a carer. He tried to please her in everything. We still can’t understand. Now we’re trying to hug my granddaughter”, they say, referring to the only daughter who survived the massacre.
The two reported that the family had lived in Altavilla Milicia for about 5 years. Previously he had lived in Novara, where some of the suspect’s relatives have lived for many years. Barreca is originally from Palermo, while his wife Antonella Salamone was born in Aragona, in the province of Agrigento. Giovanni Barreca’s sick mother had also lived with the family until some time ago and is now in a nursing home in Palermo. “I had been with them for a few days, I saw that they argued sometimes. I left because there wasn’t a peaceful situation”, says Antonella’s grandmother who specifies: “I hadn’t heard from my granddaughter for a week, I tried to call her but without being able to speak to her.”
Video Massacre in the family in the Palermo area, the relatives of the victims: ‘He is very religious’
The police who are searching the house where the crime took place listened to a neighbor who lives a few meters away. It was not an interrogation, but a collection of information on the site of the massacre. The woman reportedly reported uncomfortable situations within the family. Giovanni Barreca, as far as we know, was known in the village because he also did odd jobs in the villas in the countryside of Altavilla Milicia. The police are touring the area together with the woman.
The mayor of Altavilla Milicia, Giuseppe Virga, announced that all events planned for the carnival and on the day of the victims’ funerals will be suspended and a city mourning will be called. “I want to express the community’s condolences to the families involved in this tragic event,” he said.
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