“It was me, and I know what I did was monstrous” – 61-year-old Lorena Venier from Gemona del Friuli (Udine) confessed before an examining magistrate to killing and dismembering her 35-year-old son, Alessandro. Her lawyer, Giovanni De Nardo, confirmed to ANSA that she provided a full confession to the deputy prosecutor during questioning, stating she was “visibly shaken by the cruelty of her action and its violation of all natural laws.”
Venier allegedly acted alongside her son’s live-in partner, 30-year-old Colombian national Marilyn Castro Monsalvo, who is also accused of the murder. The killing occurred approximately one week ago in their Gemona home. Castro Monsalvo’s interrogation by deputy prosecutor Giorgio Milillo has been postponed. Her lawyer, Federica Tosel, stated she had no information about the scheduled questioning and was heading to Trieste’s Coroneo prison to meet her client, described as “very distressed.”
Investigators determined the murder took place on the night of Friday, July 25th. Lawyer De Nardo, representing Venier, clarified that while his client detailed the sequence of events and ruled out involvement beyond the house occupants, no specific triggering argument was reported. Citing investigative secrecy, he declined to elaborate on the motive or methods, despite Venier’s detailed account. A custody validation hearing is expected Monday.
The victim’s dismembered body was discovered in a large barrel in the garage, covered in quicklime to mask decomposition. Initial reports suggested a violent argument erupted days prior over Venier failing to prepare dinner, escalating tensions already strained by financial pressures on Lorena Venier’s sole hospital salary supporting four people, including the couple’s six-month-old daughter. The baby has been placed in social care as no immediate relatives are in Italy.
Prosecutor Claudia Danelon emphasized that the precise reconstruction remains speculative pending further investigation. One theory suggests the women administered excessive medication (available for Castro Monsalvo’s postpartum depression) to subdue Alessandro during the altercation, potentially causing accidental death. Alternatively, they may have deliberately incapacitated him before attacking him with an axe later used to dismember the body. An autopsy and toxicology tests will provide critical evidence.
In a poignant scene during the handover to social services, the infant reportedly resisted leaving her grandmother Lorena’s arms before being comforted by the social worker. Venier subsequently required ambulance assistance after experiencing a mild illness.