Italian prosecutor seeks life term for US man accused of double murder

FILE PHOTO: A security cordon separates the crime scene from public access inside Villa Pamphili park where an American woman and her newborn child were found dead on June 7, in Rome, Italy  June 13, 2025.

FILE PHOTO: A security cordon separates the crime scene from public access inside Villa Pamphili park where an American woman and her newborn child were found dead on June 7, in Rome, Italy June 13, 2025. (REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File Photo)


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ROME, Oct 26 — An Italian prosecutor requested a life ​sentence on Monday for a US citizen accused of murdering his partner and ‌their 13-month-old daughter, whose bodies were discovered last year in ⁠a park in ​central Rome.

The suspect, identified ⁠as Francis Kaufmann, was arrested on the ‌Greek island ‌of Skiathos on June 13, 2025, a ⁠week after the two ⁠bodies were found in Villa Pamphili, based on evidence including witness testimony and surveillance footage.

Kaufmann, who also used the alias Rexal Ford, is on trial for double homicide. ‌Prosecutor Antonio Verdi asked ​the court to sentence him to life imprisonment, with three years of daytime solitary confinement.

The prosecutor described Kaufmann as manipulative and narcissistic but did not explain what motive investigators believed lay behind the killings.

A lawyer for ​Kaufmann did not immediately respond to a ‌request for ‌comment. ⁠During the trial, Kaufmann — who is being held in a Rome jail — maintained his innocence.

A first-instance verdict is expected on November 5. Under ‌Italian law, defendants ​are entitled to two ‌levels of appeal.

(Reporting ⁠by ​Marco Roberti; Writing by Angelo Amante; Editing by Bill ​Berkrot)

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