Nephew, 17, confesses to killing teacher aunt over inheritance feud; body search resumes in Venetian canal

The murder and confession

On 11 June, Chiara Guerra, a 53-year-old Italian literature teacher, was stabbed by her 17-year-old nephew during a row in the woodshed of their shared estate in San Stino di Livenza (Venice). He later used a wheelbarrow to carry her body, covered with a tarp, through the town centre and threw it into the Malgher canal along with the knife. The alarm was raised by a friend who could not reach her, and on Saturday evening the boy confessed after being shown CCTV footage. He had a fractured wrist and scratches, initially claiming he had fallen.

The inheritance dispute

Investigators are examining a possible financial motive: frequent family feuds over a 5,000-square-metre estate that Chiara Guerra and her brother inherited from their parents. The woman lived alone in the large farmhouse, while the boy’s family occupied a smaller villa on the same property. Neighbours recalled the boy saying, “The aunt hasn’t come home, we’re worried,” when asked about the police presence.

Search for the body

The body has not been recovered despite searches on Sunday. On 15 June, the fire service resumed operations with divers, rubber dinghies, drones, and the Drago helicopter, scanning the canal all the way to the Adriatic. Prosecutor Pietro Montrone stressed that the investigation cannot rely on the confession alone and must locate the body.

We still have an open investigation because we need to conduct further checks, we cannot stop at the confession.

School community mourns

Pupils and parents gathered outside the school with flowers and banners, remembering Chiara Guerra as “authoritative, never authoritarian” and a teacher who “knew how to be heard and respected the kids.” Her third-year students pledged to take their exams for her.