Wine Entrepreneur Arrested Two Years After He Allegedly Staged a Car Accident to Kill His Wife
Italian police have taken a wine entrepreneur into custody two years after he allegedly staged a car accident to kill his wife. Ciro Caliendo, a wine entrepreneur and representative of the Italian Farmers’ Confederation, is under investigation for the premeditated voluntary homicide of his 47-year-old wife Lucia Salcone.
Salcone died in a fiery car crash two years ago and authorities initially treated it as an accident. However, certain things related to the crash made investigators suspicious.
Caliendo was driving the car when it caught fire after hitting a tree. His statements following the crash led to suspicion that he staged the accident.
Several matters related to the crash made investigators suspicious
According to local media, the accident occurred around 10:30 p.m. He explained that he had chosen to check on some of his vineyards that thieves had lately broken into, which is why they were driving in the area.
Caliendo also told the responding police officers that he had collided with an oncoming vehicle, and that the car skidded into a tree as a result. He said the impact caused both he and his wife, Lucia Salcone, to become at least temporarily unconscious.
Authorities, however, weren’t notified of the crash until 1:00 a.m. Caliendo claimed that was because the flames destroyed his cell phone and that of his wife, which were in the car. He also stated that no one stopped on the road to offer assistance. However, about a kilometer and a half from the scene of the accident (and two-and-a-half hours later), he finally managed to track someone down to help.
A technical inspection of the car and the crash scene did not match his story
Also, the car, a Fiat 500, runs on diesel. Even after a car accident, data shows that diesel-powered automobiles are less likely to catch fire. Upon inspection, police discovered traces of diesel in the passenger compartment of the mangled car.
Moreover, a visual examination of the car did not seem to show a catastrophic collision with the tree. The little tree could not have seriously damaged the car’s front end. Analysis also showed that the Fiat had been traveling at just 25 mph prior to the crash and that it hit concrete bollards before crashing into the tree. Nevertheless, the fire destroyed the car entirely.
Caliendo also only had minor burns on the arms and hands. He supposedly sustained them while trying to free his wife from the blaze.
His wife, on the other hand, had head injuries, particularly on the forehead and nape of the neck, which an autopsy determined to be irreconcilable with a simple traffic accident.
What investigators think really happened
Investigators believe Caliendo burned the car while his wife was still inside after repeatedly hitting her with a blunt weapon that was never located. The fact that his wife had carbon monoxide in her lungs is another element investigators claim would indicate Lucia Salcone was still alive at the time of the fire. Additionally, technical studies did not support the assertion that the seat belt trapped her in the car.
Furthermore, surveillance cameras from Ciro Caliendo’s home appear to show him collecting materials used to simulate the accident, including a bottle containing fuel, before the accident.
Regarding the motive, investigators speculate that it may have had both economic and personal. The couple’s financial status and personal relationships are also the subject of the investigation.
