Er Canaro

Last updated

Pietro De Negri, better known as Er Canaro (Roman dialect: "the dog keeper"; born 28 September 1956), is an Italian criminal, a dog coiffeur (hence the nickname) and a cocaine addict.

Contents

De Negri was born at Calasetta, in Sardinia. Later he lived in the Rome's neighbourhood of Magliana. At the age of 31, he killed former boxer, local tough guy, and fellow cocaine addict Giancarlo Ricci. The so-called "Crime of the Canaro" (Italian : Delitto del Canaro) is notable for being one of the most gruesome crimes carried out in Italy since the end of World War II, particularly because the victim watched powerlessly during the excessive mutilation. [1] [2]

However, the post-mortem revealed that most of the torture described by De Negri had only been imagined by the man, who probably confused thought and reality as a result of his excessive consumption of cocaine. The boxer had been killed with a hammer, in no more than 40 minutes as opposed to the 7 hours of torture claimed by De Negri; no shampoo was used, nor had his cranium been opened. Some fingers have been amputated post mortem.

Murder of Giancarlo Ricci

On 18 February 1988, Ricci entered into Pietro De Negri's shop as usual, beating and slapping him as he had on previous occasions. De Negri had been a victim of Ricci's physical abuse before, but had conceived a plan to kill him. He told Ricci that a cocaine pusher was coming into the shop, and that if Ricci would hide himself in a dog cage, they could steal the pusher's cocaine and money. As soon as Ricci entered into the cage, De Negri locked him inside. He tortured Ricci for seven hours, left him tied with a chain, went to his daughter's school to take her home, and later returned to his shop.

Ricci was tortured to death, with some of his fingers having been removed and put inside bodily orifices. Pieces of his face were cut, his tongue was removed, and his penis was put into his mouth, which caused him to die of asphyxiation, according to the post-mortem. De Negri also pierced one of Ricci's eyes with the cut fingers, smashed his teeth and head with a pipe wrench, and "washed" his brain with dog shampoo. [3]

The morning after, Ricci's body was found in a landfill, still smoking, as De Negri had thrown fuel onto the body and tried to burn it. A man admitted to driving Ricci to De Negri's shop the day of the murder, and De Negri confessed. After conviction, he served 16 years out of his 24-year prison sentence.

The life and the incident of the murder has been adapted into two films both released in the same year (2018): Dogman by Matteo Garrone and Rabbia furiosa - Er canaro by Sergio Stivaletti.

Notes

  1. "Er canaro: "Lasciatemi stare Il conto con la giustizia l'ho pagato" La Repubblica, 27 October 2005 (in Italian)
  2. Daniele Mastrogiacomo, "E alla fine si è deciso a morire", La Repubblica, 23 February 1988 (in Italian)
  3. La Repubblica, 23 February 1988

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Negri</span> Italian political philosopher (1933–2023)

Antonio Negri was an Italian political philosopher known as one of the most prominent theorists of autonomism, as well as for his co-authorship of Empire with Michael Hardt and his work on the philosopher Baruch Spinoza. Born in Padua, Italy, Negri became a professor of political philosophy at the University of Padua, where he taught state and constitutional theory. Negri founded the Potere Operaio group in 1969 and was a leading member of Autonomia Operaia, and published hugely influential books urging "revolutionary consciousness".

Pietro Citati was an Italian writer and literary critic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pizza Connection Trial</span> Criminal trial against Mafia members

The Pizza Connection Trial was a criminal trial against the Sicilian and American mafias that took place before the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in New York City, U.S. The trial centered on a number of independently owned pizza parlor fronts used to distribute drugs, which had imported US$1.65 billion of heroin from Southwest Asia to the United States between 1975 and 1984. The trial lasted from September 30, 1985, to March 2, 1987, ending with 18 convictions, with sentences handed down on June 22, 1987. Lasting about 17 months, it was the longest trial in the judicial history of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pietro Vierchowod</span> Italian footballer (born 1959)

Pietro Vierchowod is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back, and a current manager. He also represented the Italy national side during his career, and was in the Italian squad that won the 1982 FIFA World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zanzhi</span> Chinese torture method

The zanzhi finger crusher was a Chinese instrument of torture consisting of small sticks strung together with cords, which when placed around the fingers and gradually pulled, caused agonizing pain in order to force a confession. Under traditional Chinese law, a person could not be convicted of a crime unless they confessed. The zanzhi was a legal and non-lethal torture method for forcing women to confess, and for men there was the similar and more painful jiagun ankle crusher with three wooden planks that slowly compressed the feet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calasetta</span> Comune in Sardinia, Italy

Calasetta is a small town and comune located on the island of Sant'Antioco, off the Southwestern coast of Sardinia, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corleonesi Mafia clan</span> Crime family of the Sicilian mafia

The Corleonesi Mafia clan was a faction within the Corleone family of the Sicilian Mafia, formed in the 1970s. Notable leaders included Luciano Leggio, Salvatore Riina, Bernardo Provenzano, and Leoluca Bagarella.

Nicolò Pollari is a general of the Italian Guardia di Finanza, who was the former head of Italy's national military intelligence agency, or SISMI, from 1 October 2001 until his resignation on 20 November 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia clan</span> Italian Mafia clan

The Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia clan was a Mafia clan of the Cosa Nostra and held a key position in the illicit drug trade and money laundering for Cosa Nostra in the 1980s and 1990s. The Italian press baptized the clan as "The Rothschilds of the Mafia" or "The Bankers of Cosa Nostra".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ninetto Davoli</span> Italian actor

Giovanni "Ninetto" Davoli is an Italian actor who became known through his roles in several of Pier Paolo Pasolini's films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paolo Di Lauro</span> Italian crime boss

Paolo Di Lauro is an Italian crime boss, leader of the Di Lauro Clan, a Camorra crime organization. He is also known as Ciruzzo 'o milionario among other aliases. In 2002 he was included in the list of most wanted fugitives in Italy and was captured in September 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salvatore Miceli</span> Member of the Sicilian Mafia

Salvatore Miceli is a member of the Sicilian Mafia. He was on the "Most wanted list" of the Italian Ministry of the Interior from 2001 until his arrest in Venezuela in June 2009. Some Mafia turncoats (pentiti) referred to Miceli as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, due to his frequent trips abroad. Others called him "the chicken that lays golden eggs", referring to his lucrative drug business.

Maria Serraino was an Italian female criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta in Calabria. She is one of the rare examples of a woman leading a 'Ndrangheta clan.

Rosario Naimo is a member of the Sicilian Mafia, also known as Saro or Saruzzo. He was seen as an important go-between for the Sicilian and American Mafia, closely related with the Gambino crime family. He is a man of honour from the Tommaso Natale-Cardillo Mafia family that later became part of San Lorenzo family.

Canaro may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Brigades</span> Italian militant group

The Red Brigades was a Marxist–Leninist armed organization, which was operating as a far-left guerilla and terrorist group based in Italy. It was responsible for numerous violent incidents during Italy's Years of Lead, including the kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro in 1978. A former prime minister of Italy through the Organic centre-left, the murder of Aldo Moro was widely condemned, as was their murder of left-wing trade unionist Guido Rossa in January 1979. Sandro Pertini, the then left-wing president of Italy, said at Rossa's funeral: "It is not the President of the Republic speaking, but comrade Pertini. I knew [the real] red brigades: they fought with me against the fascists, not against democrats. For shame!"

<i>Toxic Love</i> 1983 Italian film

Toxic Love is a 1983 Italian drama film directed by Claudio Caligari. The film depicts a realistic and graphic portrayal of the heroin addiction that afflicted many young drifters in the eighties. The cast was entirely made of amateur actors, of whom most were or had been drug addicts.

<i>Dogman</i> (2018 film) 2018 film

Dogman is a 2018 Italian crime drama film inspired by real events involving Er Canaro, and directed by Matteo Garrone. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. At Cannes, Marcello Fonte won the award for Best Actor. Although selected as the Italian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards, it was not nominated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Furio Colombo</span> Italian journalist and politician (born 1931)

Furio Colombo is an Italian journalist and politician. He is the former editor-in-chief of L'Unità.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mario Carità</span>

Mario Carità was an Italian Fascist soldier and policeman, leader of the Banda Carità, a group infamous for the atrocities committed during its anti-partisan activities in the Italian Social Republic.

References