An Italian man has been taken into custody after allegedly stabbing his 36-year-old girlfriend, Grey Sanmartin Villalba, to death in Vergiate, in the province of Varese, Italy, on Friday, October 23.
The suspect, identified as 53-year-old Marco Panichi, a plumbing technician, reportedly drove to his father’s apartment in another province after the incident. He allegedly confessed to stabbing his partner before turning himself in to the police.
During questioning, Panichi claimed he had acted in self-defence, alleging that Villalba had threatened him with a knife during an argument. He also claimed that she was extremely jealous and insisted that she had initiated the confrontation. These claims have not been independently established.
Investigators discovered Villalba’s body in the couple’s bedroom. A kitchen knife with a 33-centimetre blade was reportedly found beside her. According to initial reports from the medical examination, she had sustained at least 15 stab wounds, many of them to the neck.
The couple had reportedly been in a relationship for less than a year. Villalba, who was 17 years younger than Panichi, lived in Ancona, was separated from a previous partner and had two minor children. Panichi, meanwhile, had lived with another partner in Civitella Roveto, in the Marsica area, for approximately 10 years before that relationship ended.
After the breakdown of his previous relationship, Panichi acknowledged his relationship with Villalba and rented an apartment in Vergiate, where the couple lived together.
Their relationship was also visible on social media, where Panichi shared photographs and posts about their time together. On July 16, he reportedly changed his relationship status to “officially engaged” on social media.
Just days before Villalba’s death, he shared a photograph of the two embracing, accompanied by a love emoji and a song.
The contrast between those public displays of affection and the fatal incident has drawn attention to the couple’s relationship in the days leading up to her death. However, the circumstances surrounding the killing, including the suspect’s account of the argument, remain matters for investigators to establish.
