Background
Disappearance
On 5 January 2021, Benno Neumair, a 31-year-old teacher and body builder, went to the Carabinieri barracks in Bolzano to report the disappearance of his parents, Peter Neumair and Laura Perselli, aged 63 and 68. The family lived together in Bolzano, the capital of South Tyrol. The two missing persons were both retired teachers, and in the last period they had dedicated themselves to practicing some types of sports, in addition to walking every day in the mountains, which led investigators to initially hypothesise that the two had been victims of an accident in a mountain environment. A landslide, which had occurred on the same day, was investigated by police as another possible lead. [8] It had destroyed part of the Hotel Eberle located near the city. [9] During the initial investigation and searches, Benno co-operated with the investigators and provided information on the paths that his parents regularly took during their mountain walks. He also consented to the entry of sniffer dogs into the apartment where he lived with his parents.
Following further investigation, the Carabinieri discovered that both cell phones belonging to the victims had been turned off since the evening before their disappearance. After the Carabinieri searched the site of the landslide and failed to locate any relevant evidence or trace of the couple, they began investigating Benno. To ensure the veracity of Benno's reconstruction of events, the investigators collected testimonies regarding his character and personality. Investigators discovered that Benno had previously experienced a serious psychiatric episode that had led to his hospitalization in Germany, and had recently returned to live with his parents. As it later emerged, Benno had a strained relationship with his parents with alternating periods of dependence and estrangement when his requests were not met, resulting in heavy arguments between him and his parents. At the age of 21, he had developed a pathological approach to sports training and began to take steroids. During his stay in Germany, he had also threatened a girl he was living with. A psychiatric evaluation would later diagnose him with narcissistic personality disorder. [10]
Investigation
While the search for the missing couple was still ongoing, Benno was stopped by the Carabinieri at a car wash, shortly before his car was cleaned. The car was seized and, during checks in the trunk, investigators found a canister of hydrogen peroxide. Subsequently, on the north side of the Ischia Frizzi bridge, a yellowish blood stain was found; the investigators handed the sample over to the Scientific Investigations Department (RIS) for analysis, which revealed that the blood belonged to Mr. Peter Neumair. [11] Having also acquired more information regarding the telephone usage, the investigators concluded that on the evening of the crime, Benno's mobile phone was located precisely at that point. After this discovery, Benno was entered in the register of suspects , accused of double homicide and concealment of a corpse. The evidence collected almost immediately led to the hypothesis that Benno had thrown his parents' bodies into the river, in order to erase any trace attributable to him.
The villa, which was owned by Benno and where he lived with his parents, was seized by police for further investigation. Subsequent inquiries revealed that on the night he committed the crime, Benno had gone to sleep at a female friend's house and provided her with some of his clothes to wash. As these clothes were allegedly hidden during the RIS inspection, the friend was initially considered a suspect, accused of aiding and abetting, but was later cleared of all charges. Investigators additionally assessed a different woman, a teacher who Benno had met on Tinder and entered into a relationship with, as another potential suspect. Following the disappearance of his parents, Benno had invited the woman to his home and made several requests, including asking her to assist him in cleaning the house.
Charged by the prosecution, on 28 January, 24 days after the crime, Benno showed up at the barracks to turn himself in, but proclaimed his innocence. [12] Only on 11 February did he confess to the double homicide, claiming to have strangled both his parents with a climbing rope. [5] Benno was subsequently subjected to a psychiatric assessment by the Preliminary Investigation Judge (GIP) experts , who assessed that the young man was semi-insane during the murder of his father Peter, while he would have been capable of understanding and willing during that of his mother. From this it was deduced that Benno had voluntarily killed his mother, probably to avoid her being an inconvenient witness. Subsequent investigations confirmed that the two victims both died by strangulation, through the use of a "cord", which Peter probably used during his mountain excursions. The two bodies were then loaded into the family car and taken to the bridge, and then thrown into the river one at a time. The entire investigation was completed in a short time. On 10 April 2021, Benno Neumair was sent for trial for the crimes of multiple homicide and concealment of a corpse. During the hearing, the request by Benno's lawyers to proceed with the abbreviated procedure was rejected; in fact, with the entry into force of law no. 33/2019, a summary judgment is not permitted for crimes punishable by life imprisonment.
The search of the river continued around the area of the Mori dam. [13] The body of Laura Perselli was found near Neumarkt on 6 February. [4] Four months following the murders the body of Peter Neumair was found on 27 April. [5] It was found at the Albere district of Trento. [14] A boy was walking his dog in the area when he spotted a body on the surface of the water. [15] The joint funeral of Peter Neumair and Laura Perselli was held on 18 June 2021. [16]