Jessica Stappazzollo Custodio de Lima, 33, was stabbed 27 times by her ex Douglas Reis Pedroso, 41 – she died from haemorrhagic shock after suffering two knife wounds to her heart
A 33-year-old woman has been stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend after he took off the ankle monitor that was supposed to prevent him from approaching her.
Jessica Stappazzollo Custodio de Lima was stabbed 27 times at her ex’s home in Castelnuovo del Garda in the province of Verona, northern Italy, between October 27 and October 28. Prosecutors said the victim, originally from Brazil but living and working as a shop assistant in Italy, was struck four times in the chest and died from haemorrhagic shock after suffering two knife wounds to her heart, as confirmed by her autopsy.
Italian media reported that her ex-partner Douglas Reis Pedroso, a Brazilian citizen, confessed to killing Jessica.
He reportedly admitted his guilt while being questioned before Verona Court investigating judge Paola Vacca, who validated his arrest and ordered his pre-trial detention.
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Prosecutors said Reis Pedroso, 41, had removed the ankle tag that was meant to keep him away from Jessica – but the victim’s alarm didn’t go off. The alarm was then found hidden, according to reports.
The failure in the surveillance system raises questions about its effectiveness in high-risk cases. The suspect was already facing charges for mistreatment and bodily harm against Jessica, with assaults recorded since August 2024.
In April this year, Pedroso was detained for throwing the woman to the ground, dragging her by the hair, and injuring her with punches and car keys. He was fitted with an ankle monitor and ordered not to approach Jessica within 500 metres. However, at the time of his arrest this week, prosecutors found that the monitor device was not in use.
TGCOM24 reported that on the night between Sunday and Monday, Reis Pedroso contacted the Carabinieri – the national gendarmerie of Italy- declaring his intention to take his own life. As officers rushed to the scene, they found Jessica’s lifeless body inside his home. They later recovered the knife used in the attack from the suspect’s car, according to the publication.
As reported by Corriere del Veneto, six doses of cocaine and several bottles of alcohol were found in the home. The publication reported that the suspect had previously been convicted of driving under the influence and was known to investigators for his excessive drug use.
Reis Pedroso was arrested in the nearby town of Valeggio sul Mincio and then taken to the Montorio prison in Verona. During the interrogation, the suspect confessed he had killed his ex-partner but claimed he didn’t remember how it happened as he had been under the influence of drugs.
Lawyer Adrian Hila said his client was “very shaken and in shock” following his arrest. Jessica’s sister, Laiza Stappazzollo, told Italian newspaper La Repubblica that the killer “should have been stopped earlier” as she hit out at police for not arresting him earlier despite receiving several calls after Reis Petroso beat Jessica up on a number of occasions.
She also claimed that her sister had reported her ex to the police but had then withdrawn her reports without pressing charges as he allegedly threatened her. While expressing “anger and sorrow” over yet another femicide in the country, Ciro Maschio, Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies’ Justice Committee, said the government’s new bill for these crimes is currently being approved, which “also strengthens the ban on approaching the victim of a violent person” and increases protections for anti-violence centres.