The attack on the bus

A 44-year-old woman died in hospital in Terni on 19 October, five months after her husband attacked her with a hammer on a local bus near Santa Lucia di Stroncone on 9 May. She had boarded at Santa Lucia after finishing a shift as a caregiver for the family she worked for. Shortly after she sat down, the man, a 42-year-old factory worker (43 in some reports), grabbed her by the shoulder and tried to take her phone. A struggle broke out, the driver stopped the bus, and he pulled out a hammer he had with him. He struck her on the head, got off, climbed back on by blocking the closing doors, and hit her again before running away on foot. ANSA reports that the hammer was used eight times in total, and doctors in Terni could not reverse the damage despite weeks of treatment.

Flight and arrest

After the attack he fled on foot and was arrested by the carabinieri three days later. He had gone into a bar in the area for breakfast, sat down calmly and paid, and staff and customers recognised him there. He was taken into custody on suspicion of attempted femicide with aggravating circumstances, including cruelty, and is held in prison. Articles say his legal position is expected to worsen now that she has died, but they do not specify what new charge may follow.

The monitoring bracelet

In April 2026 the carabinieri of Terni arrested him for mistreatment and personal injury against his wife at their home. As a result he was ordered out of the family home, barred from approaching relatives, and fitted with an electronic monitoring bracelet. Investigators found the device torn off near the bus after the attack. Accounts differ on when it came off: Il Messaggero reports that he tore it off and tampered with it before the attack, while Tgcom reports that he freed himself of it during his escape. The hammer, bought recently with a price tag of 3.90 euros still attached, was also recovered.

The prosecutor's view

Terni prosecutor Antonio Laronga said the woman would have had no way out even if the bracelet had worked at full capacity.

“Even if the bracelet had worked one hundred percent, the woman would have had no escape.”

Laronga also described how the alert system would have worked and why it would not have been enough.

“It would have alerted us when she boarded the bus. There would have been insufficient time for the police to intervene.”

Legal position

The man remains in prison while the case proceeds. Sources agree that his position will become more serious following the death of his wife. The reports do not state a new charge or a trial date, so those details remain unknown.