Femicide Suspect’s Death in Modena Prison Sparks Incitement to Suicide Investigation

Modena: The Modena prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation into the death of an inmate accused of femicide, exploring the possibility of incitement to suicide, judicial sources revealed on Sunday. The inmate, Andrea Paltrinieri, a 50-year-old engineer from Mirandola, was found dead approximately ten days ago in his cell at the Sant’Anna prison, where he had been held for the murder of his ex-wife, Anna Sviridenko.

According to Ansa News Agency, the investigation is currently directed against unknown individuals and seeks to uncover whether there were any signs indicating Paltrinieri’s potential intentions and if those signs were overlooked. Paltrinieri had reportedly suffered beatings, insults, and threats from fellow inmates due to his alleged crime.

The situation was reported by the Modena edition of Il Resto del Carlino newspaper, which highlighted that the probe will also assess if any warning signs were underestimated. Paltrinieri infamously strangled Sviridenko, a 41-year-old radiology specialist at the Policlinico of Modena, on June 10, 2024, just hours before a crucial court hearing in Innsbruck, Austria, regarding the custody of their two young children-a major source of tension between the couple.

Paltrinieri had turned himself in to the Modena Carabinieri, confessing that Sviridenko’s body was in the van he had parked outside their station. He had been in custody at the Modena prison since then, with his trial yet to commence.