Crime

Meet Dimitri Fricano: Released After Fatally Stabbing Girlfriend 57 Times Due to Poor Prison Diet

A murderer weighing 31 stones, who brutally stabbed his girlfriend 57 times during a dispute over crumbs on the bed, has been released from prison due to his inability to follow a weight loss regimen while incarcerated. The decision was made by a court, citing concerns that the high-calorie diet provided in the facility posed a serious health risk to him.


 
Dimitri Fricano, aged 35 and from Biella, Italy, committed the heinous act against Erika Preti, 25, during their vacation in Sardinia in 2017. He received a 30-year sentence for the crime but has now been granted freedom.

Fricano weighed 260 pounds in 2019 when he was sentenced. However, delays caused by Covid meant he didn't start serving his sentence until April 2022. Over the past year, his weight ballooned to over 440 pounds, prompting the Turin Surveillance Court to release him on medical grounds.

The court determined that Fricano's extreme weight made it difficult for him to move without assistance and posed a threat to his life due to the inability of prison authorities to provide a suitable low-calorie diet for weight loss.

Fricano will now serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest at his parents' home near Milan, where he can access a healthier diet.

The decision has sparked outrage from the victim's family, who have condemned Fricano's release as "shameful."
 

 
Fricano and Preti were vacationing in San Teodoro on the island of Sardinia in June 2017 when the fatal dispute occurred. Fricano claimed that Preti struck him with a paperweight, leading him to fatally stab her in response.

Initially, Fricano blamed the murder on robbers, but later confessed to the crime. His defense lawyers cited various medical conditions, including anxiety-depressive bulimia syndrome, personality disorder, and sleep apnea.
 

 
Doctors expressed concerns about Fricano's health, highlighting a high risk of cardiovascular disease and the need for a specialized diet that the prison couldn't provide.

The Turin Surveillance Court agreed, stating that Fricano "requires assistance that cannot be provided in the institution."
Valentina Manning

Valentina Manning

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A film and TV production professional currently working as an Associate Producer creating short, doc.