I don’t know why, but from a very early age, I’ve been drawn towards mysterious stories big time. The stories that give me thrills and chills are the most attractive ones to me. And if there is a hint of truth to it, it becomes more interesting. Today, I’m going to share with you a story like that. Let’s call it “The Crime of the Suitcase”.
On October 7, 1928, the ship Massilia prepared to leave the port of Santos. As it was lifted to the ship, one of the cargoes broke and, therefore, knocked over a rather heavy suitcase (one of those old wooden ones that resembled many chests). With the fall, the case was damaged, opening a small gap, from which flowed a dark liquid and with an unbearable smell.
The sailors opened the suitcase, and discovered the corpse of a young woman, already in an advanced state of decomposition, the razor used in the crime, and the fetus of a 6-month-old girl. Later, the autopsy revealed that the death was caused by asphyxiation; then her neck and spine were broken and legs were cut at the knee.
When they came across the suitcase, the sailors promptly called the police, who soon began investigating the crime. The suitcase was on its way to France, to a sender who had nothing to do with it, and was put on the ship by three Romanians, who were paid to dispatch it.
Unraveling the mystery
The investigation brought the police to Sao Paulo and an Italian named Giuseppe Pistone and his wife, Maria Féa - the girl found in the suitcase.
Maria Fea and Giuseppe Pistone met three years earlier aboard a ship that went from Italy to Argentina. The two married in February 1928 and moved to Brazil.
[Maria Fea]
In São Paulo, he went to work in a cousin's shop, of which he wanted to become a partner, saying that he had part of the inheritance of his father to receive. But the truth is that Giuseppe not only had already received this inheritance, but had also spent everything with travels, and other enjoyments.
In order to try to get society, he wrote a telegram to his mother in Italy, asking for the amount. Even his mother refused to give him, Giuseppe insisted with his cousin that there was money to be received, intending to extort him later.
Maria Féa, knowing this, wrote a letter to her mother-in-law telling the whole truth about her husband's misdeeds. And it was at this point that everything turned out for her. On October 4, Giuseppe discovered his wife's letter, lost his head, and suffocated her with a pillow.
[Giuseppe Pistone ]
When caught by the police, Giuseppe confessed to the crime, but told a different story for his motive. Pistone told police he was coming home when he saw a man rushing out of the room, and when he entered the room he found his wife "decomposed." The discovery would have made him uncontrollable, advancing on her and suffocating her with a pillow.
This version was denied by the supposed lover of Maria, who affirmed that she had never had anything with the girl. In fact, he was only known to Pistone for working at a tailor's shop where he would have had some suits done.
Outcome
Giuseppe was sentenced in July 1931 to 31 years imprisonment, but his sentence was considered fulfilled in November 1948. Upon his release from prison he was employed as a caretaker and remarried. He died in 1956, at the age of 62.
Maria Féa, who died at the age of 21, is buried in the Cemetery of Philosophy in Santos, and her tomb has become a place of religious pilgrimage. The suitcase of crime is on display at the Museum of Crime, in the city of São Paulo, Brazil.
So, this was the tragic story of Maria Fea. I'll share with you other stories like this once I come across more. Follow and stay with me for more like this, along with my poems and other blog posts.
