In a chilling courtroom confession, 61-year-old nurse Lorena Venier from Gemona (Udine) admitted to killing and dismembering her 35-year-old son, Alessandro Venier, alongside her 30-year-old daughter-in-law, Mailyn Castro Monsalvo, a Colombian citizen. “I did something monstrous but necessary. I realize the enormity, but there were no alternatives. Mailyn is the daughter I never had,” Venier stated.
During a three-hour interrogation before magistrates, Venier provided a detailed reconstruction of the July 25th murder. Her account was so specific that prosecutors decided against charging the women with premeditation as an aggravating factor; a preliminary investigations judge will rule on this tomorrow during a custody hearing.
The motive for the killing has become clearer. Alessandro Venier was murdered on the eve of his planned move to Colombia, where he intended to live with Mailyn and their six-month-old daughter. This decision was fiercely opposed by both Mailyn and Lorena Venier. The older woman described Mailyn as “the daughter she never had,” revealing a deep, reciprocated affection had formed between them, strengthened by shared feelings against the move. Mailyn reportedly did not wish to return to Colombia, and Lorena Venier could not bear to be separated from the baby granddaughter, with whom she shared an exceptionally strong bond.
Investigators also detailed the murder method: Alessandro was first stunned with a heavy dose of drugs and then suffocated with a cord. Following his death, the two women dismembered his body. A dinner argument a week prior now appears to have been a pretext for executing a pre-arranged plan. In a further attempt to conceal the crime, they covered the body parts with quicklime.
Their “pact” held for five days. Yesterday morning, Mailyn Castro Monsalvo, who was already experiencing post-partum depression, broke down near the bin containing her partner’s remains and called emergency services (112), turning herself in. She is reported to be severely distressed; scheduled for questioning at Trieste prison this afternoon, she suffered a collapse and was transferred by ambulance to hospital. Her condition is not serious, but she, like her mother-in-law, is under constant watch to prevent self-harm.
To avoid suspicion, the victim’s mother continued working at the local hospital’s health district until Wednesday evening, with colleagues noticing nothing amiss. Mailyn reportedly maintained normal routines with the infant, taking her out in a stroller.
Background details emerged about the victim: Alessandro collected dozens of dangerous World War II explosive remnants, which he sought, found, and often resold to enthusiasts, partly to make ends meet. This activity, alongside others, had previously drawn police attention. His connections to Colombia, where he reportedly had unresolved business dealings and a close friend running a farm, are also under scrutiny.
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