Murder of Monica Calò

On 14 July 1998, Italian woman Monica Calò was stabbed to death by her fiancé in Verbania, Italy.^[1][2] The case raised debates about femicide and anorexia.^[3][4]

Murder of Monica Calò
Location	Verbania, Italy
Date	14 July 1998 (CET)
Attack type	Murder (stabbing)
Victims	1
Perpetrators	Marco Mariolini
Motive	paraphilic disorder

Events

Calò, a speech therapy student from Domodossola, was engaged to Marco Mariolini, a 40-year-old antique dealer from Pisogne.^[5] The relationship was tormented from the beginning with coercive control being exhibited. Mariolini exercised a rigid control over Calò in all her choices, including food.^{[citation needed]}

Following an argument, Mariolini stabbed Calò 22 times, killing her.^[6]

The trial of Mariolini ended on 30 March 2000^[7] with an abbreviated procedure with a sentence of the Assize Court of Novara condemning him to 30 years in prison. In 2020, his request for release was rejected.^[8] Mariolini was detained in the prison of Pavia until 2021.^[9]

Mariolini autobiography

Before the murder of Calò, Mariolini wrote the autobiographical book Il cacciatore di anoressiche [it] (The anorexic hunter), in which he recounted having a paraphilic disorder that had always led him to sexually desire anorexic and skeletal women.^{[10][page needed]} Mariolini, previously married and with two children, said that after the separation he sought female company through advertisements. This was how he met the 29-year-old Monica Calò (in the book known as Barbara).^[11]

During the presentation of the work on 12 May 1997 at the Palazzo delle Assicurazioni, Mariolini admitted that he was potentially dangerous.^[12]

The 2004 film First Love (Primo amore) by Matteo Garrone is partially based on the facts recounted in the book.^[13]