Suspect confesses to Turin killing and dismemberment after 50 euro dispute

Interrogation and confession

During a validation hearing lasting over an hour and a half before a preliminary investigation judge in Turin on 26 September 2026, 26-year-old Christian Matheus De Oliveira Morando admitted to killing 39-year-old Fabio Colapietro. De Oliveira, born in Chivasso, faces charges of murder and the suppression of a corpse following his arrest in the Piedmontese capital. Defense attorney Wilmer Perga summarized his client's testimony regarding the fatal encounter inside a residential flat in the Borgo Vittoria district on Turin's northern periphery. The suspect maintained that the death occurred unintentionally following a physical altercation during days of continuous substance consumption in the flat.

“Yes I killed him, but involuntarily. It was certainly not planned, it was part of an argument during days of drug taking.”

Altercation over missing cash

According to accounts presented to the preliminary investigation judge, De Oliveira arrived at the apartment rented by 47-year-old secondary school teacher Nicole Formichetti on 20 September 2026 alongside 22-year-old Keith Butig for a party. Colapietro later arrived at the residence as a suspected narcotics courier, where the occupants consumed alcohol and various narcotics over multiple days and nights. De Oliveira stated that upon waking, other occupants told him Colapietro had stolen approximately 50 euros from him. A violent brawl ensued, during which De Oliveira struck Colapietro with punches and kicks until the 39-year-old collapsed and died. When asked by the judge whether he wrapped his arm around the victim's neck to choke him, De Oliveira claimed he experienced a memory blackout, though he stated the occupants attempted mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and cardiac massage for roughly two hours.

Attempted disposal and concealment

After determining that resuscitation efforts had failed, the occupants resolved to dispose of the body by throwing it into a river or lake to make it disappear. Over the subsequent days, the group purchased supplies including black plastic sacks, quick-setting cement, bleach, tarps, gloves, and a knife to conceal the remains. Portions of Colapietro's body were dismembered, placed into sacks, and sealed inside buckets covered with fast-setting cement. During the mutilation, De Oliveira became overwhelmed, stopped the process, and contacted his mother to seek help.

“They dismembered him and he says that at a certain point he could not take it anymore: he went out, called his mother, had her come there and called the police.”

Police response and courtroom proceedings

De Oliveira's mother stated at her intercom that her son was in deep distress and crying when he reached out, leading her to urge him to contact authorities before she dialed the emergency number 112 herself. Police discovered the dismembered remains inside the apartment during the night between Thursday and Friday. Officers detained De Oliveira on murder charges alongside Formichetti, an educator at the Tommaso D'Oria Institute in Ciriè who had not attended classes since the academic year started, and Butig. During the Saturday court proceedings, Formichetti exercised her right to remain silent, while Butig denied involvement in the killing, and the preliminary investigation judge reserved a final decision on the detention requests.