Uproar in Italy

Melting furnace murder: Does Austrian know new details?

Giacomo B. is said to have murdered his uncle.(Bild: LaPresse/Zuma Press/dpa)

The Italian Giacomo B. is said to have killed his uncle and burned him in the furnace of the family business. After the verdict, the alleged murderer disappeared with his family. He has now been caught and wants to be exonerated by an Austrian.

The northern Italian businessman Giacomo B., who was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his uncle, has been transferred from a prison in the province of Brescia to the "Opera" prison near Milan after an eleven-day escape and following his arrest.

The 39-year-old was severely shocked after his arrest and maintains his innocence, Italian media reported. He asserted that an Austrian witness could exonerate him from the accusation of murder.

Exonerating witness from Austria?
The Milan daily newspaper "Corriere della Sera" reported on Saturday that the businessman had written to the public prosecutor investigating the case asking for the investigation to be reopened. According to the suspect, an Austrian witness could prove his innocence.

The place of arrest:

After ten days of searching throughout Europe, the Italian man who allegedly murdered his uncle and burned him in a furnace was arrested on Thursday. The 39-year-old was caught by the police at his home in Soiano on Lake Garda, according to the authorities. The exact circumstances of the arrest were initially unclear. It was recently suspected that the businessman had fled to Spain or North Africa before his final sentence of life imprisonment.

Giacomo B. may have had help
Out of concern that he could take his own life, the businessman is being guarded around the clock in Milan prison, according to the judicial authorities. The investigators want to clarify whether accomplices could have helped him to escape.

The steel entrepreneur was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder by the Supreme Court in Rome on July 1. He had been in Spain in recent days. It is believed that he decided to return from Spain to his villa in Soiano in the province of Brescia under pressure from his wife, with whom he has a nine-year-old son; he was arrested there on Thursday.

All of Italy is on the edge of its seat
The case has preoccupied the Italian public for days. Giacomo B. and his uncle had often argued about the management of the family business. According to the investigators, the man had feelings of hatred towards his relative because, in his view, he had raked in money behind the backs of the rest of the family.

Until Thursday, the convicted nephew had not served a single day in prison. He also never confessed. During the trial, he claimed to have loved his uncle. According to the investigation, the nephew disposed of the murdered man's body in the blast furnace immediately after the crime with the help of two workers. One of the two was found dead in a forest six days later.

Austrian banknotes found
He had probably committed suicide. Banknotes worth 4400 euros were found in this worker's house, put into circulation by the Austrian National Bank. According to the judges, this was a down payment for the amount the worker was to receive for his help in removing his uncle's body.