Gino Girolimoni

Gino Girolimoni (1 October 1889 – 19 November 1961) was an Italian photographer wrongly accused of being "The Monster of Rome" (Italian: il mostro di Roma) who killed children in Rome during the era of Fascist Italy. Girolimoni, il mostro di Roma, a 1972 film by Damiano Damiani, recounts the persecution that Girolimoni underwent in spite of his innocence.

Monster of Rome murders Between the period of 1924 to 1927, Rome was hit by a series of kidnappings, rapes and murders, to which seven little girls fell prey. The first of them was 4-year-old Emma Giacomini, who was kidnapped while playing in a public garden in Monte Mario on 31 March 1924. Later that day, her body, showing signs of violence but no sexual assault, was found. The newspapers became interpreters of popular anguish and demands that the person responsible be arrested. Benito Mussolini, who was disappointed by the failures of the investigators and fearing that the prestige of his regime could be affected, appointed the then police chief Arturo Bocchini as the main investigator. On 4 June 1924, 3-year-old Bianca Carlieri was found raped and strangled inside the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. On 24 November 1924, 4-year-old Rosa Pelli was kidnapped and later found murdered in the same basilica. The latter's funeral was attended by over 100,000 people who, especially in the poorer areas of the city, were on the verge of starting riots in demand of capturing the killer. Despite pressure from the Italian fascist regime to capture the murderer, other attacks soon followed.…Citește mai mult

Later life and death Despite his acquittal, Girolimoni never recovered from the false accusations and the miscarriage of justice. He was no longer able to continue his work and soon lost all of his assets; he later tried to survive poverty by repairing bicycles or being a cobbler in the popular districts of San Lorenzo and Testaccio. He died 19 November 1961 in poverty. Only a few friends attended the funeral, which was celebrated on 26 November 1961 in the Papal Basilica of Saint Lawrence outside the Walls, including Dosi. The body was buried in the Verano Cemetery at the expense of some friends in the grave of an acquaintance, which was subsequently moved to a grave on the ground and finally dispersed in the common ossuary.

Early life Born in Rome on 1 October 1889, Girolimoni worked as a photographer and mediator for workers who were victims of accidents at work. Through his job, he managed to achieve a certain prosperity.

Investigations and aftermath The police arrested numerous individuals, focusing predominantly on cripples and the mentally ill. One man, 38-year-old driver Amedeo Sterbini, who was described as a violent and quarrelsome character, committed suicide by drinking muriatic acid. In his pockets, two letters were found in which he proclaimed himself as innocent and stated that he would rather kill himself than risk being arrested. Pressure from superiors, the media, and the public prompted the police to immediately search for a culprit. Despite numerous witnesses describing the killer as a tall man in his 50s who dressed neatly and sported a moustache, the policemen arrested Girolimoni, a young photographer who was known as a nice, polite individual. The news of his arrest was published in the newspapers with great prominence, announcing that the Monster of Rome had finally been captured. On 9 May 1927, the Agenzia Stefani wrote that, after "laborious investigations", the investigators had uncovered "irrefutable evidence" against Girolimoni. The criminalist Samuele Ottolenghi, a follower of Cesare Lombroso's philosophy, claimed to recognize several somatic traits in the arrested man. Girolimoni's arrest came about after a 13-year-old waitress told her landlord about a man who spoke to her from time to time;…Citește mai mult

Bibliography Agostini, Emmanuele; Sciarelli, Federica (2010). Il mostro innocente. La verità su Girolimoni condannato dalla cronaca e dalla storia [The Innocent Monster: The Truth About Girolimoni Condemned by the News and History] (in Italian). Milan: Rizzoli. ISBN 978-88-17-03546-0. Armati, Cristiano; Selvetella, Yari (2006). Roma criminale [Criminal Rome] (in Italian). Rome: Newton Compon. pp. 62–76. ISBN 88-541-0706-9. Damiani, Damiano; Strazzulla, Gaetano (1972). Girolimoni il "mostro" e il fascism [Girolimoni the "Monster" and Fascism] (in Italian). Bologna: Cappelli. Dosi, Giuseppe (1938). Il mio testamento autobiografico [My Autobiographical Will] (in Italian). Vasto.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) Dosi, Giuseppe (1973). Il mostro e il detective [The Monster and the Detective] (in Italian). Florence: Vallecchi. Palmegiani, Armando; Sanvitale, Fabio (2011). Un mostro chiamato Girolimoni. Una storia di serial killer di bambine e innocenti [A Monster Called Girolimoni: A Story of Serial Killers, Girls, and Innocents] (in Italian). Rome: Sovera. ISBN 978-88-6652-003-0. Polidoro, Massimo (2005). Cronaca nera. Indagine sui delitti che hanno sconvolto l'Italia [Black News: Investigation into the Crimes that Have Shocked Italy] (in Italian). Casale Monferrato: Edizioni Piemme. pp. 23–68. ISBN 88-384-8132-6.