During a marital argument, a 69-year-old Tunisian, Mohamed Habib Rouissi, allegedly murdered his 50-year-old Polish wife, Joanna Rouissi, by stabbing her four times in the throat in the town of Colleferro near Rome.
During the argument and murder on Aug. 18, their nine-year-old son witnessed the brutal murder of his mother, and the couple’s eldest son, 20, was also in the apartment and was unable to stop his father.
After killing Joanna, her husband reportedly dropped the knife and fled the scene. The daughter, who returned home moments later, found her younger brother terrified and her mother dying. Despite the intervention of the paramedics and attempts at resuscitation, the victim died at the scene, according to Italian newspaper il Fatto Quotidiano.
As part of the immediate operational activities undertaken, police officers from the Colleferro police station detained Mohamed Habib several hundred meters from the murder scene. The man did not resist and confessed to the crime during questioning.
The Tunisian is now under pre-trial detention.
The Velletri prosecutor’s office is conducting an investigation into the murder, determining the exact course of events and the perpetrator’s motives.
The mayor of the town has also spoken out.
“From what we can understand, the lady was quite well known in the area and by some families of Colleferro. From what emerges, there were some signs of this situation which, however, evidently escaped authorities’ attention or were not considered so dangerous,” said the mayor of Colleferro, Giulio Calamita, while speaking to LaPresse. “This is the first femicide our city has seen in its modern history. A man, reportedly with mental problems, killed his partner. This is yet another tragedy after a difficult week, terrible news that has shaken a family of five children, one of whom is a minor. In these hours, we have given them as much support as we could and will continue to do so in the coming days. I’m sure the city will also find a way to react to this bad story.”
Investigators are also checking whether the family has previously reported cases of domestic violence. According to preliminary findings, tensions had been brewing between the spouses for some time. The couple’s five children were placed in a care facility.
