Roberto Succo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Roberto Succo, also known as Roberto Zucco, (April 3, 1962 – May 23, 1988) was born in Venice, Italy. He was a serial killer who murdered several people in Europe in 1987 and 1988.
Succo's first killings were on April 9, 1981 when he fatally stabbed his parents after they refused to lend him their car. The same night he also killed a policeman. After Succo was caught, he was diagnosed him with a mental illness and he was sentenced to ten years in a psychiatric prison in Reggio Emilia. While in the facility, he studied and earned a degree in political science.
On May 15, 1986, after serving five years of his sentence, Succo escaped from the psychiatric hospital. He evaded police and left the country to travel to France by rail. In the next few years, Succo committed numerous crimes ranging from burglary to rape to murder.
He kidnapped, hijacked, and terrorized people across at least four European countries. He killed at least two policemen on different occasions and wounded others. He was considered Public Enemy number one by France, Italy and Swiss Confederation.
On February 28, 1988, he was caught in his hometown of Mestre (a district of Venice). On March 1, 1988, during the course of an escape attempt he fell off the roof of the mental institution in which he was detained. He committed suicide in his cell on May 23, 1988.
[edit] Biographies
In 1988, Bernard-Marie Koltès wrote a play based on Succo's life and his crimes. In 2001, Pascale Froment wrote the book Roberto Succo about the murderer's life. The book was the basis for the movie Roberto Succo, directed by Cédric Kahn.
Kahn's movie tells the story of Roberto Succo's life without judging his actions. This neutral point of view was criticized by the French police, who thought the heroic description of Succo in the film was shameful.
[edit] References
- Roberto Succo Biography, from Affaires Criminelles. URL accessed January 5, 2006.
