Callisto Grandi

Callisto Grandi (1849 – 1911), known as The Child Killer , was an Italian serial killer who murdered four children in Florence from 1873 to 1875 because they made fun of his disabilities. His trial became a sensation during his time, and was of particular interest to noted criminologist Cesare Lombroso.

Grandi was eventually ruled to be unfit to stand trial and ordered to be interned at a psychiatric hospital for at least 20 years, where he remained until his death in 1911.

Early life Callisto Grandi was born in Incisa in Val d'Arno in 1849, and very little is known about his life. He worked as a craftsman and wagon repairman in his hometown, and everyone spoke of him as someone with various physical deformities and low intelligence. He was often teased by villagers because of his physical deformities; in fact, he was called "Ventudito" (he had a foot with six toes) and "Bald Carlino" because of his short stature and bald head that was disproportionate to the rest of his body.

Due to all of these factors, Grandi became a favorite target of children's jokes and pranks. This led to him developing an extreme urge to kill those who had made fun of him.

Murders On 18 March 1873, at about 11 AM, 3-year-old Luigi Bonechi mysteriously disappeared after his mother Assunta had left him alone for just fifteen minutes. Searches were conducted by his parents around the Arno river, where they suspected he had fallen in, but Luigi was not found.

Almost two years later, on 2 February 1875, 3-year-old Arturo Degli Innocenti disappeared in Florence. The mother recommended to Amerigo to come back soon because lunch was almost ready, but the child was late in returning. After four minutes, the mother became alarmed and went down the street. Shortly thereafter, neighbor Argenta Monsecchi and her daughter Giulia heard the little boy shouting from inside Grandi's store. They then called authorities, who subsequently broke down the door and entered the store. Inside, they saw Amerigo with his face covered in blood and several scratches and injuries all over his body. Grandi attempted to explain it away by claiming that the boy hit himself on a wheel, but the teary-eyed Amerigo claimed that the older man had attempted to kill him. The putrefied remains of the four missing boys were found buried inside the store, with Grandi immediately confessing to killing them. In 1895, he was transferred to the San Salvi Psychiatric Hospital, where he remained until his death in 1911. It was the subject of a study by Patrizia Guarnieri in 1988, which was covered in local papers.