— Family Of Killer Says He Has History Of Mental Health Problems

A judge in Macerata on Monday, August 1, 2022, ordered that Filippo Claudio Giuseppe Ferlazzo, the man who beat a Nigerian migrant to death in Italy, must remain in jail.

Reports of Alika Ogochukwu’s public murder by Ferlazzo on the streets of Civitanova Marche city, in Italy, was a source of outrage in Nigeria and across the world at the weekend.

 According to the reports, Ferlazzo attacked and strangled Alika in the street and at public view of passers by who curiously refused to intervene  to save the challenged victim but only recorded the horrifying murder in their phones.

The killer, Ferlazzo, according to reports, attacked after the late Alika allegedy complimented the beauty of Ferlazzo’s female partner.

It is an incident that will remain in people’s consciousness for ages because of what some reports described as “the brutality of the assault.”

Besides the sheer brutality, it remains chilling to recall that several passers-by actually watched the real live killing of the black man in the busy street while some of them continued to film the attack until the poor victim, a 39 year old, physically challenged street hawker, helplessly wreathed in pain at the firm grip of his assailant until he died in public view.

During Monday’s hearing of the case in Italy, Ferlazzo’s lawyer, Roberta Bizzarri, said her client “cooperated with investigators, had apologized for what happened and had ‘clarified’ that racism was not the motive.

“Regardless of the colour of his skin he would have committed that very ugly gesture,” Bizzarri told journalists outside the court.

Macerata prosecutors have also charged Ferlazzo, 32, with homicide and robbery, as he also allegedly took Ogochukwu’s phone after killing him, but racism was not cited as an aggravating factor.

According to ANSA Italy report, Ferlazzo family said he had a history of mental health problems, which had led to his mother being assigned as his legal guardian by a court.

“Why wasn’t he being monitored even though he had a guardian,” asked Francesco Mantella, the lawyer representing Ogochukwu’s family.

“Apologies are not enough,” Ogochukwu’s family said via the lawyer.

“What is needed now is justice, not vendetta. It’s difficult to understand what happened.”

Patrick Guobadia of the Nigerians in Italy Association said  “If it had been two Italians, things would have turned out differently – someone would have intervened to separate them.”

Ogochukwu leaves behind a wife and an eight-year-old son. He also provided for an 10-year-old girl who lived with his family but was not his daughter.

Meanwhile, the local council has set up a fund of 15,000 euros to help the victim’s family.