A 22-year-old Rome University student died Sunday after her ex-boyfriend attacked her by setting fire to her car, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.
Authorities say the suspect, Sara Di Pietrantonio’s ex-boyfriend, Vincenzo Paduano, 27, left his job as a security guard and drove to her current boyfriend’s house. After she drove from the home, he forced her car to the side of the road and got into the car. After a short argument, he poured a bottle of alcohol on the car and Di Pietrantonio. She ran out of the car, where police say Paduano caught up with her, using a cigarette lighter to set her on fire.
According to a statement from police, Paduano confessed to murdering his ex after eight hours of investigation; the lead official says this is the worst case of murder he’s seen in his 25-year-long career. What’s worse, police say surveillance cameras caught cars passing by the scene; their drivers failed to stop to help the woman.
At Paduano’s trial, Chamber of Deputies president Laura Boldrini, (whose ex-boyfriend ordered an acid attack upon her) urged women “not to keep hidden any threatening behavior by those who insist they love you.” She encouraged women to remember that actions like that are only warning signs.
On this note, Italy released the following PSA last year. The video brings awareness to a domestic violence rate that the UN has reported to be as high as 32 percent for women between the ages of 16 and 72. The ad features a future generation of men that rejects any violent act against women — perhaps something worth turning to when news like this surfaces.
