Man Confesses to Murdering Wife and Son, Injuring Daughter in Benevento

Benevento: A man was arrested on Tuesday for the murder of his wife and 15-year-old son, and for critically injuring his 16-year-old daughter in Paupisi, a town in the southern province of Benevento. The man, identified as Salvatore Ocone, confessed to the crimes, according to prosecutors on Wednesday. Ocone was apprehended after fleeing to Campobasso, in the Molise region.

According to Ansa News Agency, Benevento Prosecutor Gianfranco Scarf² stated that investigators are currently working to determine the motive behind the tragic incident. The deceased wife, named Elisa Polcino, aged 49, has become one of the latest victims in a troubling increase of femicides occurring in Italy.

Italy is grappling with the issue of gender-based violence. In July, the Italian Senate unanimously passed a bill categorizing femicide as a specific felony under Italian criminal law. This legislation mandates life imprisonment for anyone found guilty of causing the death of a woman through acts of discrimination or hatred, or if the act was intended to suppress the woman’s rights, freedoms, or personality.

The bill also introduces new criteria for prison incentives and privileges for those convicted of femicide and enhances the requirements for educational and awareness programs aimed at combating gender-based violence. The legislation is now pending final approval in the Lower House.