Dad Accused of Slaying 7-Year-Old Son and Stuffing Corpse in Closet—With a Chilling Letter
ROME—No one heard the cries of 7-year-old Daniele Paitoni when he was allegedly stabbed to death by his father on New Year’s Day. According to Italian police, Davide Paitoni, 40, made sure of that by stuffing a rag down his son’s throat and covering his mouth with gaffer tape so his screams couldn’t be heard.
A single stab wound through the child’s jugular vein ended the boy’s short life, after which the father reportedly stuffed him in a closet with a letter blaming his estranged wife, Silvia Gaggini, 36, for the boy’s horrific death.
Investigators explained that the letter, in which he apologized to his son “from dad,” was saturated with the child’s blood, and was written in a way that would imply he intended to take his life or force police to shoot him. The incident allegedly took place in Paitoni’s father’s home in the northern Italian city of Morazzone near Varese. Paitoni then left a voice message for his father that said, “Don’t open the closet. I’ve hurt Daniele,” according to police.