An Italian truck driver who murdered his wife with a hammer and then used her phone for months afterwards to pretend she was alive has been jailed for life.
Igor Sollai, 43, was convicted of killing his wife Francesca Deidda, 42, before stuffing her body into a duffel bag and dumping it under a bridge in a remote part of Sardinia where it lay undiscovered for more than two months.
The twisted lorry driver then used Francesca’s phone to impersonate her on WhatsApp, sending cheery messages to her friends and colleagues and even emailing a resignation letter to her boss at the call centre where she worked.
Francesca Deidda, 42, poses in undated photo. She went missing in San Sperate, Italy, May 10, 2024. Note: Private photo from social media. (Newsflash)
The court in Cagliari heard how Sollai bashed her head with a hammer eight time while she was lying on a sofa at their home.
He then put up that same sofa for sale online just days after Francesca vanished on 10th May last year (2024).
He also sold her Toyota Yaris in a bid to gather enough money to flee to his brother's home in the Netherlands, according to investigators.
Francesca’s body was finally found on 18th July, curled up in the foetal position inside the large duffel bag hidden beneath dense brush near a disused bridge in the countryside outside San Priamo, with the help of police sniffer dogs.
Francesca Deidda, 42, poses in undated photo. She went missing in San Sperate, Italy, May 10, 2024. Note: Private photo from social media. (Newsflash)
The remote location was only accessible via a dirt track, reinforcing suspicions that the killer had carefully chosen it to avoid discovery.
Beside her body, searchers found personal items including a bathrobe, a dental guard, and the remains of a sweatshirt.
Her brother, who had reported her missing weeks earlier, had told investigators Sollai never attempted to search for his missing wife.
Friends also began to grow suspicious in the weeks following her disappearance.
Although WhatsApp messages continued to arrive from her number, they noticed she had stopped replying with voice notes or answering calls, something highly unusual for her.
Igor Sollai, 43, (left) poses in undated photo. He is believed to have killed Francesca Deidda, 42, in San Sperate, Italy, May 10, 2024. Note: Private photo from social media. (@sollai_igor/Newsflash)
Sollai initially told police they were on a break and that he thought she was staying with family.
But under questioning, his story kept changing - and investigators soon discovered that he had been posing as Francesca, messaging friends and relatives and even sending a resignation email to her employer.
An autopsy later confirmed that Francesca had been bludgeoned to death with a hammer, though decomposition made the precise time of death harder to determine.
Sollai eventually confessed to the murder in what prosecutors described as an attempt not to show remorse, but to get a more lenient sentence.
He was found guilty of aggravated femicide and concealment of a corpse and sentenced to life in prison, with one year in solitary confinement.
Igor Sollai, 43, poses in undated photo. He is believed to have killed Francesca Deidda, 42, in San Sperate, Italy, May 10, 2024. Note: Private photo from social media. (@sollai_igor/Newsflash)
He was also ordered to pay EUR 1.4 million (GBP 1.2 million) as compensation to the victim's family.
After the verdict, Francesca's brother Andrea Deidda said: "I’m satisfied. Of course, nothing will change because my sister is no longer here and won't come back.
"But in terms of justice, I'm very satisfied – I'm pleased with the work done and with the sentence."
Sollai's defence said the jail sentence was "expected" but they will try to get a decrease in the sum he was ordered to pay.
(MJ Leidig/newsX)