FRANCAVILLA AL MARE – An autopsy has confirmed that Marina Angrilli, 51, was killed by her husband, Fausto Filippone, after he pushed her off a balcony in their fourth-floor apartment.

 The post-mortem was carried out at the mortuary of Chieti by doctor Cristian D’Ovidio. He was able to ascertain the cause of death by the types of injuries the woman sustained; suicide and illness were ruled out.

 Psychiatrist Massimo Di Giannantonio, who tried to convince the 49-year-old not kill himself for seven hours on the A14 highway bridge, said to Radio Capital: "His mother’s death was one of the factors that provoked Fausto Filippone’s decision."

 “He said that his life had irreversibly begun to change in an intolerable way 15 months earlier. Amongst the episodes that made it intolerable, Filippone mentioned the loss of his mother.”

 When asked if he could’ve done something else to save the troubled man, Di Giannantonio said: “No – I found myself before a wall. Filippone said that in his mind there was no chance of being forgiven or understanding the reasons behind what he’d done. In Filippone’s mind, everything was already over."

 The autopsy carried out on his body confirmed that he died on the spot from the impact of the 40-metre fall.

 Filippone committed suicide last Sunday by throwing himself off the A14 highway bridge near Francavilla al Mare, a few hours after hurling his 12-year-old daughter from the same viaduct

 He’d been hanging there for seven hours before he jumped into the void, saying: “I beg everyone for forgiveness.”

 While Mr. Filippone clung to the netting on the edge of the bridge, he repeatedly asked police whether his wife was still alive, to which they replied yes in the hope that he would not kill himself, officials say.

 Filippone’s sister was also present at the scene, however, he allegedly refused to talk to her. 

 At the bottom of the viaduct, eyewitnesses said that you could see the daughter’s body at 30-40 metres below. A doctor was able to see that she died on the spot. Mr. Filippone, however, did not want anyone getting close to his daughter’s body, shouting every now and then for people to back off.

 The dramatic chain of events kicked off at 1.30 p.m. People travelling past the viaduct sounded the alarm, while onlookers stood by to watch throughout the day.

 Police delicately handled the situation for seven hours, before Fausto finally decided to hurl himself off the viaduct at 8 p.m. Although they were setting up inflatable tarpaulin at the bottom, Filippone died on the spot.

 Ms. Angrilli was a teacher at the high school of Pescara, whereas her husband worked as the manager of a local company called Brioni.

 The tragic events have shocked the family’s entire community. Both the couple’s workplaces have refused to comment.

 Ms. Angrilli’s brother, however, said: “My sister Marina was conventionally married to Fausto Filippone in civil ceremony. My niece Ludovica was the couple’s legitimate daughter, a normal, healthy family of good principles!" 

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