Rome, June 8 (IANS/AKI) A man shot dead his ex-girlfriend in northeast Italy before turning the gun on himself because he could not accept the end of their relationship, reports said on Wednesday.
Manuel Venier, 36, let himself into 29-year-old Michela Baldo's apartment in the town of Spilimbergo late on Tuesday and shot her twice in the head when she returned from work, according to police.
Venier then killed himself by putting the gun to his temple and pulling the trigger, police said.
The former security guard used a Heckler&Koch pistol he held a licence for and had fitted a silencer so that Baldo's parents, who lived next door, would not hear the shots.
A friend of Venier's called police after becoming concerned by suicidal messages Venier had sent on WhatsApp, local news site IlGazzettino.it reported.
Venier and worked in a supermarket, as did Baldo, and the former couple had recently ended their three-and-a-half-year relationship.
It is estimated a woman is murdered in Italy every three days, almost always by a man, who is usually a current or former partner.
--IANS/AKI
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