He breaks into an old woman’s house and kills her. Then, naked and still covered in blood, he is stopped by the police. It happened in the early afternoon today in San Giovanni Rotondo, in the Foggia area. The victim is Rachele Covino, she was 81 years old.
The brutal murder took place in a house in Via Matteotti, right behind the Town Hall. The military intervened on the spot and, in a short time, stopped a boy, who was clearly in a state of confusion. According to what some witnesses said, he railed against anyone close to him. At the moment it is not clear whether he has mental problems or not. The man, in those excited moments, was filmed by some passers-by and the videos have already made the rounds on WhatsApp chats.
The ongoing investigations will also have to clarify the dynamics. Before breaking into the woman’s house, he apparently tried to enter other homes. At least two, but he would have been removed. Some witnesses said that, shortly before, he entered a room on the ground floor, punching another person and breaking a glass window before fleeing. It seems that there was no correlation between him and the victim: neither an argument nor previous acrimony. But further investigations will clarify the motive for a crime that has left the town dismayed. «It’s not a good day for our community. A hug Emanuela and Salvatore »writes the mayor, Michele Crisetti, on his social profile, also addressing a thought to the old woman’s children. Rachele lived alone and was well known in the city. According to initial hypotheses, she would have been strangled and the blood at the crime scene could be linked to some broken glass in those excited phases. But the medical examiner’s examination will clarify this aspect.
The incident shook the Apulian town on the very day in which San Pio is celebrated in San Giovanni Rotondo. «We will remember it for Rachele’s death – says the mayor – and for the terror caused by this naked man who wandered around the municipality for about half an hour terrorizing people before being stopped by the police. He had broken into a first home but they managed to chase him away. He also broke a glass window to get in. He probably could have gotten hurt like that. He is now in hospital. When he entered that house, he was only wearing a pair of boxers.”
