An Italian man has been accused of k!lling his wife before using her phone for months to pretend she was alive.
Francesca
Deidda, 42, disappeared in May from the Italian town of San Sperate, in
Cagliari, southern Sardinia and investigators believe that she was k!lled by
her husband, 43-year-old Igor Sollai, local media reports.
After
Deidda was last seen, messages were reportedly sent from her phone telling
friends and family that she needed some time away due to a breakdown in her
relationship. Still, she refused to speak to anyone on the phone.
Man
accused of k!lling his wife and using her phone for months to pretend she was
alive
The call centre she worked at also received
her resignation in an email after she disappeared.
Investigators
allege that these messages and emails were written by Sollai after he killed
his wife and hid her body, using them to conceal his crime and pretend Deidda
was still alive.
Man
accused of k!lling his wife and using her phone for months to pretend she was
alive
While the phone has not been found, 'traces
left by the suspect online' led to his arrest, according to local media.
Deidda
was reported missing by her brother and a coworker on May 30.
When
Sollai was asked by police why he didn't report his wife missing, he said it
was because her brother had already done so.
Police
quickly ruled out suicide and voluntary separation and focused their
investigation on Deidda's relationship with her husband, who reportedly gave
several conflicting statements.
Sollai
claims that his wife wanted some time apart to 'reflect', according to local
reports.
Investigators
say the evidence indicates that the couple had hit a rough patch in their
relationship before Deidda disappeared.
Despite
nobody being found in the case, Sollai has been arrested on murder charges last
week and remains in prison.
He
maintains his innocence and his lawyer, Carlo Demurtas, told local media:
'There is no evidence that this was a homicide.
'And to
date, we have no evidence to say that our client used his wife's phone or sent
the email.'
Demurtas
had campaigned for Sollai to receive house arrest or to be released pending
trial, but a judge ruled today that the truck driver will remain in custody.
The
couple's house, where they had been living together since 2012, as well as
their cars, has been seized by police.
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