Vincenzo Dongellini, 49, declined to answer questions posed by Deputy Prosecutor Maria Cristina Rota and the case's deputy prosecutor, Antonio Mele. This morning, he was transferred from the hospital to prison on charges of killing his wife, Valentina Sarto, 41, yesterday at their home in Valtesse, Bergamo.
The man is being represented by lawyer Stefania Battistelli and will also be interviewed by the investigating judge in the coming hours. An autopsy on the victim's body is scheduled for tomorrow morning, and will be performed at the Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital morgue. Initial findings by the forensic police suggest the woman was stabbed between six and eight times in the back and neck. The examination will also clarify the exact time of death, which is estimated to have occurred between 10 and 11 a.m., approximately an hour and a half before Dongellini, after allegedly attempting suicide, notified his 22-year-old daughter, who lives in Cremona.
At the home on Via Pescaria, law enforcement officers then arrived, having to break down the door to gain entry. Valentina Sarto was already dead, lying on the floor of their room in a pool of blood. Dongellini was curled up on his side and offered no resistance. Police also interviewed Moris Panza, the man with whom the woman had been having an affair since last February. He explained that he had repeatedly urged Valentina to file a complaint over the past few months, particularly last Saturday, when he accompanied her to the Carabinieri station in Almenno San Salvatore "to get advice on how to proceed." However, she was unconvinced and decided to wait another week to see how things would unfold.
Valentina's mother, Lia Ventura, originally from Bologna, also remembered her daughter in a post on social media: "You were 41 years old, and he took your life without mercy. He took you away from me and from those who truly loved you," she wrote. "My love," she continued, "Mom will always think of you, and I will carry you in my heart, and one day we will see each other again and we will be able to hug each other like we did when we were together. I love you, my love, Mom. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from him and take you away and bring you here to me. I love you and I miss you so much ."
This evening, a commemoration was held outside the house where the femicide occurred, displaying a banner reading: "Violence against women is never an excuse." Several local residents, numerous women, and Bergamo's mayor, Elena Carnevali, were in attendance. For tomorrow evening at 8:30 pm, the Municipality of Bergamo and the Bergamo-Dalmine Interinstitutional Anti-Violence Network have organized a torchlight procession, starting from Valentina Sarto's house and ending in the square in front of the Atalanta stadium. The Municipality has invited residents and local associations to participate, "to jointly demonstrate a shared presence and a commitment that must be daily."
(Unioneonline)