Luca Spada on trial for alleged serial murders of elderly patients

Luca Spada ambulance driver trial Forlì court air embolism Italian Red Cross

The trial of Luca Spada, a 27-year-old former Italian Red Cross ambulance driver, has commenced in Forlì. Spada faces charges of aggravated voluntary homicide for the death of 85-year-old Deanna Mambelli, who died during a medical transport on November 25, 2025. Prosecutors allege she was killed by an air embolism caused by the injection of air into her veins via a catheter.

Investigators are looking into a potential series of murders, with Spada suspected of killing five other elderly patients aged between 68 and 98 using similar methods. Wiretapped conversations have surfaced in which Spada allegedly discussed deaths with a colleague and his partner, including a recording where he reportedly asked, ‘Why do you have to save everyone? Every now and then someone has to die.’

During the initial hearings, the defense requested the nullity of the first autopsy performed on Mambelli, arguing that Spada was not properly notified and thus unable to appoint a technical consultant. The prosecution has countered that all legal guarantees and notifications were strictly followed. The court is scheduled to rule on the validity of the autopsy on October 22.

Entities

Corte d’Assise di Forlì · Croce Rossa Italiana · Croce Rossa di Forlimpopoli · Deanna Mambelli · Enrico Cieri · Forlì · Italian Red Cross · Luca Spada · Meldola

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 4 SOURCES] Spada is accused of killing six elderly people, aged between 68 and 98, by injecting air into their veins using a syringe. www.bigodino.it · www.bzc.ro
[● 3 SOURCES] Luca Spada is accused of voluntary homicide involving premeditation and the use of an insidious method. www.bigodino.it · www.bzc.ro
[● 8 SOURCES] The alleged last victim was 85-year-old Deanna Mambelli, who died on November 25 while in an ambulance with Spada. www.bigodino.it · www.romagnauno.it · tr24.it · www.vetrinatv.it · www.bzc.ro
[● 2 SOURCES] Wiretapped conversations include Spada asking a colleague, ‘Why do you have to save everyone? Every now and then someone has to die.’ www.bigodino.it
[● 2 SOURCES] The camera inside the ambulance where Mambelli died was broken. www.romagnauno.it · teleromagna.it
[○ 1 SOURCE] Mambelli is alleged to have been killed by an air embolism caused by injecting air into her veins via a catheter. tr24.it
[● 4 SOURCES] The defense of Luca Spada has requested the nullity of the first autopsy performed on Deanna Mambelli. www.romagnauno.it · teleromagna.it · www.vetrinatv.it
[● 4 SOURCES] The defense argues the autopsy is invalid because Spada was not informed and could not appoint a technical consultant. www.romagnauno.it · teleromagna.it · www.vetrinatv.it