Luca Spada faces trial for suspected serial killings in Italy

Luca Spada, a 28-year-old former ambulance driver for the Italian Red Cross, is facing trial in Forlì for the suspected murder of an 85-year-old patient, Deanna Mambelli. Investigators believe Spada may have deliberately injected air into her bloodstream during a non-emergency transport in November 2025, causing a fatal embolism.

Authorities are also investigating Spada for the potential deaths of five other elderly or seriously ill patients: Mirella Montanari, Francesco Mario Scavone, Edoarda Gasperini, Vincenzo Pesci, and Vittorio Benini. A report by the Carabinieri suggests Spada may have exhibited ‘predatory and serial’ behavior driven by an ‘obsessive and uncontrollable internal motivational impulse.’

Spada has denied all accusations. While the upcoming trial focuses specifically on the death of Mambelli, prosecutors are examining whether his actions follow a pattern of targeting vulnerable individuals. Investigators are even looking into a previous instance where Spada himself was hospitalized for an embolism to determine if he may have induced his own condition.