Italy's justice system hunts down fugitive blast furnace murderer
Nine years ago, on a Thursday evening at 7:18 pm, an unusual cloud rose from the chimney of the Bozzoli Foundry in the upper Italian commune of Marcheno. This was likely the moment when, inside a furnace, the body of the company's CEO, Mario Bozzoli, was being burned. Just a few minutes before, the 50-year-old had arranged to have dinner with his wife. Since then, any trace of him has vanished. Even in the furnace, nothing was left - no surprise given the large-scale operation and the high temperatures.
The case has captivated Italy for nearly nine years, especially in these days. For at the beginning of the month, the man who was sentenced to life imprisonment three times for the murder of Bozzoli and the disposal of his body in the furnace has disappeared: his nephew Giacomo. When the Supreme Court, the Cassation Court in Rome, confirmed the judgment last week and ordered the police to arrest him at his home on Lake Garda, the 39-year-old and his girlfriend and son had already disappeared.
Now, Giacomo Bozzoli is being sought in Europe with an international arrest warrant. A lead takes us through France to Spain. Others suspect, due to family ties, that the wealthy businessman's son may have fled to the Balkans. Some also consider Germany as a possible destination: The most recently similarly pursued flight of another Italian, who had killed his ex-girlfriend in the north of the country, ended in Leipzig on the A9 motorway in November.
No Confession, No Prison
The nephew, who was in custody, had not spent a single day there. He never confessed. In the trial, he claimed to have loved his uncle. However, three courts came to the same conclusion that Giacomo Bozzoli was the murderer. He had harbored "obstinate and unbridled hatred" towards his uncle, according to his own account, because the latter had, in his opinion, manipulated money behind the backs of the rest of the family. He had saved his uncle's number in his phone as "Asshole."
The nephew allegedly transported the corpse of the victim, according to the investigation, immediately after the crime with the help of two workers into the furnace. One of the two was found dead six days later in a forest. He had swallowed a cyanide capsule - possibly a suicide. In his house, the investigators discovered 5000 euros in cash, possibly a reward. Charges of accessory to murder are expected to be filed against the other worker soon, according to a report by Rai television.
Apart from the usual interest in such a manhunt, there is growing criticism of the authorities. Not only was Giacomo Bozzoli free the whole time, but it seems that no one thought of the possibility that he could avoid prison at the final judgment. Another uncle, Andrea Rozzini, commented briefly on this: "He had nine years to prepare all of this." The authorities defend themselves by stating that the condemned man had always appeared for court dates.
Trail to Marbella
The trail of Giacomo Bozzoli leads to Marbella, Spain. The police are investigating a possible sighting of the fugitive in the exclusive residential area of El Madroño. The search continues.
The neighbors at Lake Garda reported that they had not seen Bozzoli, his girlfriend, and their eight-year-old son for over two weeks. The house was empty when the police arrived on July 1st. The investigators were left with little more than computers and laptops to seize. Then they discovered that the family's SUV, a Maserati, had been on its way to France since June 23rd. Later came the news from Spain that a couple with the corresponding documents had rented a place in Marbella until June 30th. But all of this could also be a ruse.
Daniele Colossi, the father of Bozzoli's girlfriend, is now appealing to him to surrender. "This situation is tearing me apart," Colossi said on television. "I hope that he does it for his own sake, but above all for the sake of my daughter and my grandson, as soon as possible." According to investigation sources, it is suspected that Bozzoli may still want to celebrate his son's ninth birthday one last time in freedom and then surrender. The birthday is on July 8th, this Monday.
This assumption has now been confirmed: Bozzoli's girlfriend and son returned from France to Italy by train on Friday. The woman claimed in her first interrogation that she had suffered a shock due to her partner's final sentencing to life imprisonment and had lost her memory, as well as her phone. However, there is still no trace of Giacomo Bozzoli himself.
The international manhunt for Giacomo Bozzoli, the man sentenced multiple times for the international murder and manslaughter case of his uncle Mario Bozzoli in Italy, is currently ongoing in Europe. His disappearance coincided with the Supreme Court's confirmation of his life imprisonment sentence and the ordering of his arrest.
Despite Giacomo's absence, his girlfriend and son returned to Italy from France, with the woman claiming to have lost her memory and phone due to the shock of her partner's sentencing. Meanwhile, the international processes to locate and apprehend Giacomo continue, with suspects pointing to potential destinations in France, Spain, the Balkans, and even Germany.
