A woman, 33 years old, was fatally stabbed by her former boyfriend who removed his ankle monitor to evade restrictions preventing contact with her. Jessica Stappazzollo Custodio de Lima suffered 27 stab wounds at her ex-partner’s residence in Castelnuovo del Garda, Verona, Italy, between October 27 and October 28. The victim, a Brazilian native working as a shop assistant in Italy, sustained fatal injuries including two knife wounds to her heart leading to haemorrhagic shock. Her autopsy confirmed four chest wounds.
Reports from Italian media revealed that Douglas Reis Pedroso, the ex-partner and a Brazilian national, confessed to Jessica’s murder. During interrogation before Verona Court’s investigating judge Paola Vacca, Pedroso admitted his guilt, leading to his arrest and pre-trial detention validation.
Prosecutors disclosed that Pedroso, aged 41, tampered with the ankle monitor designed to keep him away from Jessica without triggering the victim’s alarm system, which was later discovered concealed. The lapse in the surveillance mechanism questions its reliability in high-risk scenarios. Pedroso faced prior charges of mistreatment and physical harm towards Jessica dating back to August 2024.
In earlier incidents in April, Pedroso was apprehended for physically assaulting Jessica, resulting in a prohibited proximity order and the ankle monitor installation restricting him from approaching within 500 meters of her. However, during his recent arrest, authorities found the monitor inactive.
In a distressing turn of events, Reis Pedroso contacted the Carabinieri, Italy’s national gendarmerie, expressing suicidal intentions on a night between Sunday and Monday. Upon police arrival at his location, they discovered Jessica’s lifeless body in the residence. Subsequently, they retrieved the murder weapon from Pedroso’s vehicle.
Additionally, it was reported that the suspect’s home contained six doses of cocaine and multiple alcohol bottles. Pedroso had a history of driving under the influence and excessive drug usage, as per investigations.
Following his arrest in Valeggio sul Mincio, Pedroso was transferred to Montorio prison in Verona. Despite confessing to the crime, he claimed drug influence clouded his memory of the event during interrogation.
Adrian Hila, Pedroso’s lawyer, mentioned his client’s profound shock post-arrest. In contrast, Jessica’s sister, Laiza Stappazzollo, criticized law enforcement for not detaining Pedroso earlier despite numerous reports of abuse. She alleged that Jessica had reported Pedroso to the authorities but withdrew the complaints due to threats. Laiza urged for stronger preventive measures against violent individuals.
Expressing dismay over the tragedy, Ciro Maschio, Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies’ Justice Committee, highlighted ongoing government efforts to enhance laws addressing such crimes. Proposed legislation aims to bolster victim protection and restrict violent individuals from approaching their targets further, aiming to reduce femicides across the country.