Christian Persico, the 36-year-old man accused of murdering his 47-year-old partner Tina Sgarbini, has confessed to the crime. Sgarbini was found dead on Saturday morning inside her apartment on Via Mons. Michelangelo Franchini in Montecorvino Rovella (Salerno).
During a custody confirmation hearing, Persico admitted his responsibility. The Judge for Preliminary Investigations (GIP) at the Salerno court has formally validated his arrest on murder charges and ordered him to be held in pre-trial detention.
Persico’s defense lawyer, Michele Gallo, described his client as “remorseful and devastated,” recounting that after the killing, the 36-year-old attempted to take his own life by jumping from a bridge. “His body and face still bear the marks of this act, which by pure chance was not fatal. This is a very painful affair,” the lawyer emphasized.
Despite Persico’s confession, which came after investigators had quickly identified him as a suspect, the admission does little to lessen the pain in the local community. A banner hung near the town hall reads, “Love doesn’t kill. Rest in peace Tina…”
According to the victim’s father, Persico, a 36-year-old laborer, killed Tina after she “kicked him out of the house because he did as he pleased and didn’t work.” The couple had been in a long-term relationship that had recently become strained.
Carabinieri located Persico near the crime scene on Saturday evening. He initially did not answer the prosecutor’s questions but later confessed to the murder before the GIP. Investigators are working to reconstruct in detail the events that occurred in the apartment on the night between Friday and Saturday, where Tina was killed by asphyxiation.
A first admission of guilt was contained in a note Persico left for his parents, which read, “I’ve done a terrible thing.” The Mayor of Montecorvino Rovella, Martino D’Onofrio, along with others who knew the couple, stated that nothing had foreshadowed such a tragic end.
“Our community is still shocked and stunned,” said the Mayor. “There were no prior reports or even signs of danger. This makes it all the more complicated, as it is difficult to intervene without evident criticalities. Our community stands by the family and Tina’s three children [from a previous relationship], and if necessary, we will provide the maximum psychological support available through the local health authority. We must think of these three young people who have been left, from one moment to the next, without their mother.”