Death by pasta: Italian woman, 80, ‘is murdered by her great-niece by force-feeding her spaghetti in bid to claim her £400,000 inheritance’
- The woman allegedly killed Maria Basso by feeding her the dish after taking her out for dinner
The great-niece of an 80-year-old Italian woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder, accused of force-feeding her spaghetti in a bid to claim her £400,000 inheritance.
The woman allegedly killed Maria Basso by feeding her the dish after taking her out for dinner, despite the fact that she could only eat ‘baby food’, making it appear as if she had died of natural causes. Corriere della Sera reports.
The victim’s grandniece was arrested by the Carabinieri and taken to the station of Aci Castello in Sicily with the support of soldiers.
Basso, who had no children and lived in the Giovanna Maria Bonomo retirement home in Asiago, had worked abroad for a long time before joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
She had also served in Tehran, Iran, where she had fled after the Khomeini Revolution, an uprising that resulted in the overthrow of the monarchy in 1979, and subsequently in America and Australia.
The woman allegedly killed Maria Basso by feeding her the dish after taking her out to dinner, despite the fact that she could only eat “baby food” to make it appear as if she had died of natural causes, police said. a report
The victim’s grandniece, who disputes the accusation, is now under house arrest and has been tagged with an electronic bracelet, the release said.
Over a period of two months, the suspect, who wanted to take advantage of the particularly vulnerable condition of her great-aunt, showed a strong interest in the assets, which fifteen years ago were intended for a Christian youth educational institution in Milan, Corriere della Sera. reports.
The inheritance was estimated at around £428,000.
The grandniece made several trips to the bank where the elderly lady held the checking account, which aroused suspicion among the bank’s director and officials, prompting them to file a complaint with the prosecutor’s office.
According to the plan, the suspect allegedly managed to convince the elderly woman to revoke the general power of attorney, which, according to the publication, had been issued in favor of her old friend.
On December 2, 2022, after staying a night in a hotel in Asiago, Basso had to take a long car journey to a care home in Aci Castello, Sicily.
Basso was not allowed to retrieve her belongings or notify loved ones, who had not been notified of her transfer.
In addition, the suspect had not taken the medication that her great-aunt took every day, despite the managers of the institution where she was being treated advising her to do so.
Basso’s relatives, concerned about the sudden disappearance of their relative, filed a complaint and a criminal case with the Vicenza Public Prosecutor’s Office, which was then referred to the Catania Public Prosecutor’s Office for jurisdiction.
Under the plan, the elderly woman would have to sign a public will on December 9, 2022, appointing the second cousin as the sole heir.
Two days later, the second cousin allegedly took Basso out to dinner, forcing her to eat the spaghetti dish that caused her death.
After the Public Prosecution Service submitted a request and the investigating judge gave permission, the suspect was placed under house arrest after being tracked down and handcuffed in her home.