Content Warning: This article contains descriptions of violent crimes and may be disturbing to some readers.
Most parents will do anything to protect their children. However, few would go to the extremes of Italian serial killer Leonarda Cianciulli, whose obsessive love for her son drove her to commit horrific crimes. Initially, Leonarda entered the world around 1893 or 1894 in Italy. From the very beginning, she faced constant rejection. Moreover, her mother, Amelia, showed nothing but contempt toward her because Leonarda was born from an assault. During those times, women couldn’t safely report such crimes to authorities. Consequently, Amelia had to marry her attacker, Mariano Cianciulli, and raise a child she never wanted to avoid public shame.
A Troubled Youth
Throughout her childhood in poverty, Leonarda endured endless sadness and instability. As a result of her mother’s complete lack of love, she attempted suicide twice during her early years.
Marriage and Early Struggles
Eventually, in 1917, Leonarda married Raffaele Pansardi, a clerk at the local registry office. This marriage infuriated her parents, who had already arranged for her to marry someone else. Furthermore, being highly superstitious, Leonarda firmly believed her mother had placed a curse on her marriage.
After her family rejected her from their home, Leonarda moved to her husband’s town in Lauria, Italy. Nevertheless, trouble continued to follow her. First, authorities arrested her for fraud in 1927. After her release, the couple relocated to Lacedonia, hoping for a fresh start.
Natural Disasters and Family Tragedies
Sadly, their peace didn’t last long. In 1930, a devastating 6.6 earthquake destroyed their home and claimed over 1,400 lives in the region. As a result, the couple moved to Correggio, their final destination, where Leonarda opened a small shop and seemingly built a normal life.
Yet motherhood brought even more heartbreak. Despite 17 pregnancies, she lost 13 children through miscarriages and childhood illnesses. Among her four surviving children, she developed an especially intense attachment to her son Giuseppe, who became her clear favorite.
The Breaking Point
Then, in 1939, as World War II loomed, the Italian military began drafting young men. When they selected Giuseppe, Leonarda’s protective instincts turned sinister. Previously, a fortune teller had warned her she would lose all her children. Therefore, to protect Giuseppe from death, she decided to sacrifice other lives in his place.
Read more: Tamara Samsonova: The Granny Ripper
The Murders
While working part-time as a fortune teller, Leonarda targeted vulnerable middle-aged women. Specifically, she claimed three victims:
- First, Faustina Setti – A lonely woman seeking love
- Next, Francesca Soavi – A desperate woman searching for work
- Finally, Virginia Cacioppo – A former opera singer needing employment
In each case, Leonarda lured her victims with false promises of marriage or jobs in distant towns. Subsequently, she would drug them, kill them, and then transform their remains into soap and small cakes, which she actively served to unsuspecting visitors.
Capture and Conviction
Eventually, the disappearances raised alarms. Particularly, Virginia Cacioppo’s sister-in-law reported seeing Virginia enter Leonarda’s house before vanishing. As a result, police launched an investigation and arrested Leonarda. In turn, she quickly confessed to protect her son Giuseppe, whom police also suspected.
Final Years
Ultimately, in 1946, the court sentenced Leonarda to 30 years in prison and three years in a mental asylum. During her confinement, she wrote her memoirs, titled “An Embittered Soul’s Confession.” Finally, on October 15, 1970, she died at age 76 from a brain stroke.
Today, visitors can see the tools she used in her crimes at Rome’s Criminological Museum. These artifacts serve as a chilling reminder of how a mother’s misguided protection transformed into unthinkable horror.
