Footballer Giovanni Padovani murdered Alessandra Matteuzzi by beating her with a hammer outside her home on August 23, 2022, in a case that shocked the whole of Italy.
An Italian footballer who beat his ex-girlfriend to death with a hammer after she reported him to police for stalking her has been jailed for life.
Giovanni Padovani murdered Alessandra Matteuzzi outside her home on August 23, 2022, in a case that shocked the country. The 56-year-old woman had been on the phone with her sister Stefania who heard her scream as Padovani began attacking her, first with his fist, then with a baseball bat and a hammer.
The 28-year-old former centre-back who played for Sancataldese attacked her in a garden near her apartment in Via Dell’Arcoveggio, in Bologna, northern Italy. The court heard he had flown into the city to wait outside her home after his team told him to stay away from a training session.
While Alessandra survived the initial attack, she later died in hospital after suffering massive injuries. Padovani and the former model reportedly dated for about a year, but had spent most of their time apart as Alessandra lived in Bologna while Padovani worked in Sicily.
Stefania reported that they had a fight in January 2022 where she broke dishes and a light at her home in Bologna and after they broke up, Padovani bombarded her with texts and calls and she ended up reporting him to the police for stalking.
Judge Domenico Pasquariello sentenced Padovani and said his stalking and predatory behaviour, as well as the premeditated nature of the attack, were aggravating factors.
Padovani reportedly tried to claim that he was not in a good state of mind at the time of the attack. He told the court: “If I was completely sane and competent, I deserve a life sentence. But if you think there is something abnormal, abnormal, in the behavior, then no. I was not well, because a person who is well does not kill another human being. I am in a nightmare , I’m sorry, that’s a bigger burden than prison.”
After the sentence, Alessandra’s sister broke down in tears as she left the courtroom. He later told reporters: “Alessandra is no longer here, my sister is no longer here.”