Good Riddance

He chopped up his girlfriend’s gay best friend; now he’s going away for life

Victim Vincenzo Ruggiero

Ciro Guarente is headed to jail for life.

Italian courts have convicted Guarente of the murder of Vincenzo Ruggiero, a noted Italian gay rights activist. Guarente murdered Ruggiero in June 2017 before chopping up his body and attempting to dissolve it in acid. The attempts to conceal the corpse didn’t work.

Heven Grimaldi (Left) with murderer Ciro Guarente

Jealousy motivated Guarente to commit the murder. At the time of Ruggiero’s death, Guarente maintained a relationship with Ruggiero’s roommate Heven Grimaldi, a transgender woman. Guarente became suspicious of the relationship between the two roommates and decided to take matters into his own hands. He shot and killed Ruggiero while Grimaldi had left town.

Related: Suspect sent corpse photos of murder victim to guys on Grindr

Police eventually arrested Guarente, a former naval officer, acting on tips from Grimaldi. She’d noticed a change in behavior following Ruggiero’s “disappearance,” and alerted law enforcement of her suspicions. She’s also accused Guarente of abuse.

Guarente expressed remorse and regret to Ruggiero’s family at his sentencing. Ruggiero’s family expressed satisfaction with the sentencing, though did add that they would have preferred the death penalty. Police continue to search for suspected accomplices of Guarente, including the person who provided him with the murder weapon.

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