Kriti Mehrotra
As a limited drama delving into one of the longest and most complex Italian investigations into the first serial killer in the country’s history, Netflix’s ‘The Monster of Florence’ is unlike any other. That’s because it actually combines direct testimonies, procedural documents, and journalistic investigations to give us the true tale of the still unidentified killer who reigned terror for almost two decades. No one has officially been identified as the heinous killer, but there have been several individuals who have been suspected, and amongst them was none other than Francesco Vinci.
Francesco Vinci Had an Affair With Barbara Locci
Born on May 18, 1943, in Villacidro, Italy, as at least one of two brothers, Francesco Vinci was allegedly always a hard worker who took the responsibility of providing for his family seriously. In fact, by the time the mid-1960s rolled around, he was a professional bricklayer with a wife and children, just for everything to soon turn upside down. As per records, he worked alongside Stefano Mele, and it was through him that he first came across his wife and the mother of his young son, Barbara Locci. One thing then led to another, and he ended up having an intense affair with Barbara.
According to records, Francesco’s elder brother Salvatore had also had an affair with Barbara at one point, which ended before Francesco and she ever even met in the mid to late 1960s. The truth is that Francesco and Barbara soon became so serious that he essentially spent most of his time with her, resulting in his arrest in November 1967 for allegedly being intimate with her in public. His wife Vitalia Muscas (later Melis) was the one to file the report, yet upon his release from prison, he reportedly continued his affair without any issues and even practically moved into her home.
As per official records, Francesco and Barbara’s affair lasted until at least late spring and may have continued, but she had gradually moved on to become involved with other men too. She allegedly had several lovers over the years, a fact both her husband Stefano and Francesco didn’t like, but she seemed content, that is, until she was slain with her newest lover, Antonio Lo Bianco. The duo was fatally shot while Barbara’s son lay asleep in the backseat. They are believed to be the first victims of the Monster of Florence, and due to the affair, Francesco was a person of interest.
According to records, Francesco was almost immediately deemed a person of interest, so even his hands were tested for gunshot residue, and it was suspected that he took Barbara’s son to safety. The fact that his car was found hidden during another double homicide in 1982 didn’t help either, especially because there had been a media leak, so he was really looked into. In the end, Francesco was arrested and held in custody for over a year, only for another double homicide to occur during this period. As a result, he was eventually acquitted of any accusations against him and cleared for good.
Francesco Vinci Passed Away in 1993
It was around 1985 when the Monster of Florence reportedly stopped his crime spree altogether, which is also the year Francesco’s brother and fellow suspect disappeared without a trace left behind. According to reports, Salvatore chose to leave his homeland for good, never to be seen or heard from alive again. Yet, some think this could also just be a coincidence. Therefore, in 2024, Francesco’s widow and children asked the government’s permission to exhume his body so as to carry out a DNA test. They wondered wheather the man they had buried in 1993 was indeed him or not.
