Gucci's ex-wife, four others charged with his murder

January 31, 1997
Web posted at: 3:30 p.m. EST (2030 GMT)

ROME (CNN) -- The gangland-style killing of fashion heir Maurizio Gucci took a dramatic twist Friday when police arrested the businessman's ex-wife on suspicion of ordering the fatal shooting in 1995.

A police official said Patrizia Reggiani Martinelli, 49, was arrested in an apartment in central Milan. Martinelli and four other people, including her psychic and a hotel doorman, were charged with murder, said Ottavio Aragona, a Milan police deputy commander.

He said the psychic is accused of organizing the slaying, and two hit men carried it out. The doorman's role was not clear.

Italian media, quoting judicial sources, said Martinelli allegedly paid more than $300,000 to hire the hit men. Gucci, 45, was killed outside his office in central Milan by a well-dressed assassin who pumped four shots into him at close range before climbing into a getaway car.

Reuters contributed to this report.

 

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