Roberto Succo

Background

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. His case involved accusations of murdering three policemen and three civilians in France.

The offence

Succo committed his first known murders on April 9, 1981, when he fatally stabbed his mother and strangled his father, who was a police officer. Succo and his parents had refused to lend him their car. After killing his parents, he escaped, hiding his parents’ bodies in the bathtub covered in water and lime to delay discovery of the murders, and taking away his father’s service pistol.

The subsequent killing spree spread across multiple European countries. The account describes crimes ranging from burglary to rape to murder. In France, Succo raped and killed two teenage girls, murdered a physician, and murdered two police officers who were about to capture him. He also kidnapped, hijacked, and terrorized people across at least four European countries.

Investigation

After Succo was caught, he was judged mentally ill. He was considered Public Enemy number one by France, Italy and Switzerland.

Arrest

Succo was apprehended by Italian authorities in the spring of 1988. He was confined at Vincenza and examined by psychiatrists who diagnosed him as a paranoid schizophrenic and a danger to society. The account also describes him being caught on February 28, 1988 in Mestre (on the Italian mainland across from Venice, within the Venetian region known as the Veneto). During the course of an escape attempt he fell off the roof of the prison in which he was detained.

Trial

A judge found Succo incapable of comprehending the charges or participating in his own defense, paving the way for committal to an asylum.

During his initial interrogation by the police, he was asked for details of his profession and answered: "I am a killer. I kill people."

Sentencing

Succo was sentenced to 10 years in a psychiatric prison in Reggio Emilia.

Appeals

No appeals were described.

Outcome

While confined at the psychiatric hospital, Succo 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.

Succo was subsequently detained again, and on March 1, 1988, during the course of an escape attempt he fell off the roof of the prison in which he was detained. He committed suicide in his cell on May 23, 1988 by suffocating himself with a plastic bag.

Aftermath

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. The account describes that Kahn’s movie told the story of Roberto Succo’s life without judging his actions, and that this neutral point of view was criticized by the French police, who thought the heroic description of Succo in the film was shameful.