Kidnappers kill crying baby

The Daily Telegraph ^ | 3 April A.D. 2006 | Daily Telegraph Correspondent

[lightman]

Kidnappers kill crying baby By Daily Telegraph Correspondent (Filed: 03/04/2006)

Horrified Italians called for the death penalty after a toddler was killed by his kidnappers, apparently for crying too much.

For a month, the nation had hoped for the safe return of Tommaso Onofri, a curly haired 17-month-old snatched from his home on March 2.

He suffered from epilepsy and his parents issued televised warnings to the kidnappers of the child's need of regular medication.

After a month of silence from the kidnappers, police discovered his body late on Saturday in a wood near the northern city of Parma, just a few kilometres from the family home.

They had been led to a shallow grave by Mario Alessi, one of three people arrested earlier on Saturday.

State radio said the kidnappers, who had worked on the family's house, had planned to demand a €1 million (£700,000) ransom. But according to media reports citing prosecutors, Alessi said the baby had been killed within an hour "because he was crying too much".

Banners in soccer stadiums denounced the kidnappers as "brutes," with some demanding the death penalty.

Italy's branch of Save the Children said: "The violent death of a baby is a sign of a society which is losing sight of its fundamental values."

[lightman]

Further evidence of the increasing barbarism of Eurabia.

[Farmer Dean]

Does Italy have a death penalty,one can only hope.

[Alouette]

Lindbergh baby horror.

[Arizona Carolyn]

I thought the EU banned the death penalty.

[sionnsar]

No doubt the libs will write it off as a post-birth abortion...

[Farmer Dean]

I think you are right. This fiend could be the poster child for it's reinstatement.

[stm]

"This fiend could be the poster child for it's reinstatement."

I don't know about Italian law but in this country at least it's not possible to reinstate the DP just so a specific person could be executed, though in this case it would certainly be warranted.

[I still care]

Not only does Italy not have the death penalty, I am amazed at the light sentences Europe hands out. In Holland I remember reading 20 years is the maximum.

[Moonman62]

State radio said the kidnappers, who had worked on the family's house,

People should be careful about who they let in their house.

[TheWriterTX]

Good God!

Why kill him? He's just a little over 1 1/2 years old! Kids that age can hardly talk, much less identify their kidnappers! They could have just let him go and no one would be the wiser!

As the mother of 3 precious angels, I WOULD VOLUNTEER to executive them myself. A Glock, and a few dollars worth of ammo, and they won't inflict this hellish misery on another family.

[lightman]

As the mother of 3 precious angels, I WOULD VOLUNTEER to executive them myself

Maybe the time has come for a Freeper Stike Force.

[metmom]

I thought the EU banned the death penalty.

It's good to know everybody has a limit. If they don't, something like this may change it.

[Farmer Dean]

I think the crying annoyed the killer.

[metmom]

I wonder just how ling these scumbags are going to last in the home of the Mafia. Italy may not officialy have a death penalty but I can't imagine they'd be safe any where if the Mafia gets involved.

[metmom]

ping

[tang-soo]

He suffered from epilepsy

Professor Peter Singer shrugs his shoulders.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

Reminds me of the scene in the Godfather when the guy goes to the Don and asks for justice for the rapist of his daughter.

Italy will NEVER execute anyone. Just curious....were the kidnappers Italian?

[lightman]

Certainly such justice would be (fittingly) not so kind and gentle as lethal injection.

[Ciexyz]

Very sad.

[Windsong]

Sounds like what happened in "Fargo" with the kidnapped woman from DA-KO-TA.