Police arrested last night the man believed to be the killer of pizza chef Raffaele Stipa , who was stabbed to death in his restaurant in Reggio Emilia last night. The owner's sister was also seriously injured by a customer who then fled. The man was identified around 2:00 a.m.: Andrea Pellati, 42, from Reggio Emilia (not a foreigner as previously reported), who is said to have drug addiction problems .

The murder was captured last night by surveillance cameras inside the club. These images proved crucial in identifying the killer.

The man, a regular customer at the Yoghi pizzeria on Via Gran Sasso d'Italia, wanted a free pizza, and when the owner refused ("No, I already offered you three," he allegedly told him), he went berserk , pulled out a knife, and killed him. In an attempt to stop him , the victim's sister, Antonella Stipa, was also seriously injured and is now hospitalized. The incident occurred around 10:30 p.m., after which the killer fled.

Raffaele Stipa, 67, originally from Capo d'Orlando, in the province of Messina, had lived in Reggio Emilia for thirty years and had run the pizzeria with his sister for 20. A procession of people gathered in front of the shop; some had brought flowers, others had written messages on paper next to a stuffed animal.

"He was a wonderful person," a local woman said. "We all used to come here for pizza. He had a kindness that went beyond measure. I'm so sorry; he died where he had dedicated his life."

(Unioneonline)