A homeless Nigerian migrant identified as Nweke Chukwuka, has been arrested for allegedly beating a 61-year-old woman, Iris Setti, to death in Italy.
It was learnt that the attack occurred on Saturday evening, August 5, 2023, at around 10:30 pm in the city of Rovereto in Trento when Iris Setti was walking through a public park in the Santa Maria district of the city and was set upon by the suspect, a Nigerian living on the street.
It was gathered that the 37-year-old suspect attacked the woman in the street in an apparent rape attempt so vicious that the woman later died in hospital from her injuries.
According to a report from the newspaper Il Giornale, the Nigerian may have either been trying to rape the victim or possibly trying to rob her and it is also unclear whether or not the woman knew the man.
What is clear is that she was viciously beaten, with witnesses claiming to have seen the man throw the woman to the ground hitting her in the face and head with his fists and some sort of blunt object, possibly a stone.
The suspect fled the area but was caught a short time later by members of the Carabinieri, who stopped him on the Via Maioliche and were forced to use their tasers to subdue and arrest him.
The victim was taken to a local hospital but due to the severity of the injuries she had suffered, she died several hours later.
Chukwuka was later charged with voluntary homicide by the Rovereto Public Prosecutor’s office.
Chukwuka is not said to be unfamiliar with law enforcement in Italy and has been known for prior acts of violence, including an incident in August of last year in which he went on a rampage attacking parked cars and threatening random people with a broken bottle.
The case has caused tensions between members of the ruling Italian coalition government headed by Prime Minister Meloni, with League leader and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini demanding to know why the Nigerian was in the country at all, calling on Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi to clarify the matter.
