A SPURNED husband executed his wife and shot his two-year-old twins as they slept in their cots in a brutal massacre, before turning the gun on himself, say police.
Alberto Accastello, 40, went on a killing spree at his home in Italy after learning of his wife’s plans to leave him for another man, shooting his entire family in the dawn slaughter, reported local media.
Crazed Accastello shot his wife Barbara Gargano, 38, and their toddler twins Alessandro and Aurora, as well as the family dog, before committing suicide by shooting himself in the head, said officials.
The ruthless attacks unfolded at just before 5am on Monday in the family home close to Carignano, in Italy’s famed Piedmont region, around 16 miles outside Turin.
Medics rushed the children to hospital, but little Alessandro died on the way after being shot while he slept in his cot, confirmed coroner Roberto Testi.
The little boy’s twin sister Aurora is the only survivor of the merciless attacks, but her condition remains serious as she is in a coma in the intensive care unit of a specialist children’s hospital in Turin.
The killer dad and husband, who worked in a local cereals company, had been “depressed for some time” reported Italian national press agency Ansa.
He had been depressed for some time
Giancarlo Cerutti
His boss Giancarlo Cerutti described him as “a golden boy, a great worker that every entrepreneur would like to have”.
“But he had been depressed for some time, he had his problems, as we all have them,” Mr Cerutti told the press agency.
His wife had told him a few weeks ago she wanted to separate to start a new life with a man she had met through her work at a nearby shopping centre and had started discussions with lawyers, reported local media.
Although the killer’s brother called the police, who immediately raced to the family villa and broke down the door, they found his wife already dead.
Accastello died shortly after police arrived.
Despite rushing the still-breathing toddlers to hospital, son Alessandro died on the way, and daughter Aurora is now fighting for her life after being shot in the head.
The mayor of Carignano, Giorgio Albertino, told La Stampa newspaper: “Lately I saw him down in the dumps, thinner and much more taciturn than usual, perhaps due to the stress resulting from the family situation that Alberto was going through.”