Sonya Caleffi
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Sonya Caleffi (born 21 July 1970) is an Italian serial killer. She was suspected of killing 15 to 18 people and convicted of five of them.


Biography

At fifteen, Caleffi began to suffer from depression and
anorexia nervosa Anorexia nervosa, often referred to simply as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by low weight, food restriction, body image disturbance, fear of gaining weight, and an overpowering desire to be thin. ''Anorexia'' is a term of Gr ...
, but at school she remained a very quiet girl, with good performance in school. Between 1990 and 1993, she attended courses to become a professional nurse at the Valduce Hospital of
Como Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label=Comasco dialect, Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Its proximity to Lake Como and ...
. In 1993, she married a carpenter from
Cernobbio Cernobbio (Comasco: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Como, Lombardy, northern Italy. It is located about north of Milan and about northwest of Como, on the border with Switzerland and near the Lake Como. The highest peak is t ...
after being engaged for six months. Continuous quarrels between them lead her to
divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
after just a year. She later met a
radiologist Radiology ( ) is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide their treatment, within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiat ...
and went to live with him in
Tavernerio Tavernerio (Comasco: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located about north of Milan and about east of Como. Tavernerio borders the following municipalities: Albese con Cassano, Como, Fagg ...
, where she finished her job in a state of reclusion at home. From 1993 to 2000, Caleffi worked at the Valduce Hospital of Como in the departments of
surgery Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...
general,
endoscopy An endoscopy is a procedure used in medicine to look inside the body. The endoscopy procedure uses an endoscope to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body. Unlike many other medical imaging techniques, endoscopes are insert ...
and
first aid First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with either a minor or serious illness or injury, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery. It includes initial in ...
. From 2000 to 2001 she worked in first aid at Ospedale Sant'Anna of Como. In October 2001, she returned for a month to Valduce Hospital of Como. From November 2 to 13, she worked at the
rest home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of elderly or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as skilled nursing facility (SNF) or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms have slightly different meanings to in ...
and clinic Le Betulle of
Appiano Gentile Appiano Gentile ( Comasco: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northwest of Milan and about southwest of Como. The city borders the following municipalities: Beregazzo con Fig ...
. In 2002, she worked in two different periods at the nursing home of
Albese con Cassano Albese con Cassano ( Brianzöö: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Como, Lombardy, Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the m ...
, and in the department of
psychiatry Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry. Initial psych ...
. On 4 August 2002, Caleffi tried to commit suicide with her car by driving into a wall at Salita Cappuccini in Como. She attempted suicide three more times between 2002 and 2004. Between September and November 2003, she worked in the general medicine department of Sant'Anna Hospital, where 8 terminally ill patients were killed due to injection of air, resulting in
embolism An embolism is the lodging of an embolus, a blockage-causing piece of material, inside a blood vessel. The embolus may be a blood clot (thrombus), a fat globule (fat embolism), a bubble of air or other gas ( gas embolism), amniotic fluid (am ...
. From September to 8 November 2004, she worked at Manzoni Hospital of
Lecco Lecco (, , ; lmo, label= Lecchese, Lècch ) is a city of 48,131 inhabitants in Lombardy, northern Italy, north of Milan. It lies at the end of the south-eastern branch of Lake Como (the branch is named ''Branch of Lecco'' / ''Ramo di Lecco''). ...
, where she allegedly killed 18 people. This was discovered by the medical director of the garrison, who informed the Public Prosecutor's Office.Vincenzo M. Mastronardi; Ruben De Luca, ''I serial killer'', Roma, Newton & Compton, settembre 2005.


Arrest

On 15 December 2004, Caleffi was arrested, but confesses to only six murders, four confirmed and two suspected.
Police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
during her house search found books about
bulimia Bulimia nervosa, also known as simply bulimia, is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating followed by purging or fasting, and excessive concern with body shape and weight. The aim of this activity is to expel the body of calories eaten ...
,
anorexia nervosa Anorexia nervosa, often referred to simply as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by low weight, food restriction, body image disturbance, fear of gaining weight, and an overpowering desire to be thin. ''Anorexia'' is a term of Gr ...
,
death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
and her most read novels are ''Invisible Women'' by Fabiola De Clercq, ''Sprecata'' by
Marya Hornbacher Marya Justine Hornbacher (born April 4, 1974) is an American author and freelance journalist. Her book '' Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia'', is an autobiographical account of her struggle with eating disorders, written when she was tw ...
, ''Death is a friend'' by Marie de Hennezel, and above all ''
Veronika Decides To Die ''Veronika Decides to Die'' ( pt, Veronika Decide Morrer) is a novel by Paulo Coelho. It tells the story of Veronika, a 24-year-old Slovenian who appears to have everything in life going for her, but who decides to kill herself. This book is pa ...
'' by
Paulo Coelho Paulo Coelho de Souza (, ; born 24 August 1947) is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist and a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters since 2002. His novel ''The Alchemist'' became an international best-seller and he has published 28 more books ...
. The hospital administration of
Lecco Lecco (, , ; lmo, label= Lecchese, Lècch ) is a city of 48,131 inhabitants in Lombardy, northern Italy, north of Milan. It lies at the end of the south-eastern branch of Lake Como (the branch is named ''Branch of Lecco'' / ''Ramo di Lecco''). ...
in the meantime opens the investigations. On 17 December 2004, she leaves the Bassone prison of
Como Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label=Comasco dialect, Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Its proximity to Lake Como and ...
and the power of attorney ascertains only one case of death. On 18 December 2004, she was transferred to the seventh floor of Sant'Anna Hospital of Como in the detained ward. On 11 February 2005, she was transferred to the Opg of Castiglione delle Stiviere ( MN), and on 10 March, she withdraws the confession she made in December and three months later she says she remembers not killing anyone. From 2006, she worked as a telephonist at San Vittore Prison.


Sentencing

On 14 December 2007, Caleffi was sentenced for to serve 20 years of imprisonment for five murders and two attempted murders in
San Vittore Prison San Vittore is a prison in the city center of Milan, Italy. Its construction started in 1872 and opened on 7 July 1879. The prison has place for 600 inmates, but it had 1036 prisoners in 2017. History The construction of the new prison was de ...
causing anger by the families of the victims. On 3 March 2008 the Appeal Court of
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
confirms the first instance sentence of 20 years imprisonment, even if the attorney general had requested
life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...
, but the abbreviated rite has reduced the sentence.Infermiera killer, i delitti erano programmati
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See also

*
List of serial killers by country This is a list of notable serial killers, by the country where most of the killings occurred. Convicted serial killers by country Afghanistan *Abdullah Shah: killed at least 20 travelers on the road from Kabul to Jalalabad while serving under ...
*
List of serial killers by number of victims A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more people, in two or more separate events over a period of time, for primarily psychological reasons.A serial killer is most commonly defined as a person who kills three or more peop ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caleffi, Sonya 1970 births Living people Italian female serial killers Italian people convicted of murder Medical serial killers People from Como Poisoners