Father unlocks pin after a year Alleged murderer takes selfie with victim's cell phone

The father of a murdered Italian man succeeds in doing what the police failed to do: he is able to unlock his son's smartphone. It contains a video of the crime scene with the alleged perpetrator.

DPA

01.06.2025, 22:17

dpa

More than a year after a murder in Italy, the crime is about to be solved thanks to a selfie video of the alleged perpetrator. After many unsuccessful attempts, the victim's father managed to unlock his son's smartphone, as reported by various Italian media outlets. On it, the father discovered a video that the suspect had recorded of himself after the crime.

The case made headlines last spring: In Villafranca Padovana, a town of 10,000 inhabitants in northern Italy near Padua, a 32-year-old man was found stabbed to death at the end of April 2024.

Suspicion was quickly directed at an acquaintance two years older than him, who was then arrested. All attempts by the police to unlock the victim's iPhone in order to possibly find clues to the perpetrator were unsuccessful.

Father finally finds the correct pin

In the end, the carabinieri returned the smartphone to the father. He then managed to open the device with the correct pin. According to a report in the local newspaper "Il Gazzettino", the video, which is only a few seconds long, was recorded at the crime scene - and at around the time the crime took place. It shows the alleged perpetrator saying a few unclear sentences before running his hands through his hair.

The trial against the 34-year-old, who is in custody, is due to begin in September. The man must stand trial for murder. He is facing a long prison sentence. He had been in a rehab clinic shortly before the crime due to drug problems.

The alleged perpetrator and the victim had known each other since childhood. They are said to have had several arguments with each other before.