He constantly beat and tortured her. Once, he even forced her to play Russian roulette with a loaded pistol. Patrizia Scifo had fallen in love with this man when she was just 17. But by the time she realized who he really was, it was already too late.
This man was Giuseppe Spatola, a Mafioso. Eleven years older than her, he revealed himself after the first few months, during which he had manipulated her into turning against her family: a monster. He created a hell from which Patrizia could not escape. But everything changed with the birth of her daughter, Angelica Monica. Patrizia’s love for the little girl gave her the strength to report everything: the abuse, the torture, the beatings.
to file a complaint and leave him.
It was June 18, 1983, when he took her to her mother’s house in Niscemi. He told her he would pick her up the next day, perhaps because he was leaving. She never returned, for that night she was strangled by Spatola and then buried in a field. Her whereabouts were initially unknown, and she was presumed missing. Her father, Vittorio, searched tirelessly for her. And on July 18, he too was murdered by the Mafia because he asked too many questions and caused problems for the clans.
In remembrance of Patrizia and Vittorio, we should not forget what the Mafia is and who the Mafiosi are. They are the curse of this country and one of the greatest evils that could ever occur. We must never forget that.