Who was Il Mostro? Netflix's ‘Monster of Florence’ explores the hunt for Italy’s infamous serial killer
This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
Following the epic success of 'Monster: The Ed Gein Story,' Netflix is once again dipping its toes in the true crime genre with 'The Monster of Florence.' Created by Stefano Sollima and Leonardo Fasoli, the miniseries made its debut on the streaming platform on Wednesday, October 22. The four-part show follows the investigation into the murders of 16 innocent lives, which spanned from 1968 to 1985. While the show's captivating storytelling keeps fans on the edge of their seats, many are left wondering if it is based on a true story.
Yes, 'The Monster of Florence' is indeed based on the true story of Italy's notorious serial killer, Il Mostro. Notably, the murders remain a mystery, and Sollima confirmed to TIME that all names and much of the dialogue in the series are historically accurate, as per Forbes. The first known murder occurred in August 1968, when Barbara Locci, 32, and her lover, Antonio Lo Bianco, 29, were shot while in a car. Notably, Locci’s six-year-old son survived. Over 17 years, eight young couples were killed using the same .22-caliber Beretta pistol with Winchester 'series H' bullets, indicating a single perpetrator.
The last murders attributed to Il Mostro occurred around September 1985, when French couple Jean Michel Kraveichvili and Nadine Mauriot were shot and stabbed while camping in Italy. To add more chills, Mauriot was among four female victims whose bodies were mutilated. Talking about the investigation, after Barbara's murder, her husband, Stefano Mele, was charged and sentenced to 45 years, having initially confessed but later retracting his statement. He implicated several Sardinian men, leading investigators down the 'Sardinia Trail,' which suggested a link to the Meles family of Sardinian immigrants in Tuscany.
Francesco Vinci, one of Barbara's former lovers, was arrested for over a year, along with Mele's brother Giovanni and brother-in-law Piero Mucciarini, but Il Mostro killed again in 1984, clearing them. Salvatore Vinci, another former lover, was arrested over Barbara's suspicious death in Sardinia but acquitted; all Sardinian suspects were cleared by 1989. In addition, investigators have never uncovered Il Mostro’s true identity, and the Beretta pistol used in the murders remains missing, even 40 years after the last killing.
Dozens of men were suspected over the years, with five imprisoned at different times, though another murder occurred while they were in jail; one man even confessed, according to CBS News. In March 2022, families of Il Mostro's victims called for a new investigation, urging Florence prosecutors to follow up on potential leads. Lawyers for the families of Mauriot, Jean Michel Kraveichvili, and Carmela De Nuccio also requested access to the case file of former suspect Pietro Pacciani. Pacciani, a convicted murderer and rapist, was sentenced to life in 1994 for killing six of the eight couples but was acquitted on appeal two years later; he died of a heart attack in 1998 at age 73.