Logansport Pharos-Tribune from Logansport, Indiana • Page 7

-Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, Indiana, Sunday, May 1, 1994 Page A7 Suspected 'Monster' On Trial 'Q Man charged with eight in Italy FLORENCE, Italy (AP) The man they call a monster weeps. 1 His bottom lip quivered and tears wet his weather-creased cheeks as 'prosecutors methodically recounted horrors on the charge sheet: Eight double murders from 1968 to Victims shot and mutilated. Body parts cut off and carried away. The "Monster of Florence" has been captured, prosecutors said, Pietro Pacciani ran his fingers through his bone-white hair and 'cried. "I am here like Christ on the he gulped on the opening day of the trial April 19.

"I have never hurt anyone." But in a special courtroom built for terrorist trials, authorities have set out to prove that the 69-year-old farm worker who enjoys playing the accordion is one of Europe's most prolific serial killers a sadistic cross between the lovers' lane stalker David Berkowitz of New York and the fictional cannibal Hannibal iLecter of the book and movie "Silence of the Lambs." The book's author, Thomas joined hundreds of spectators to watch on the opening day, as prosecutors carefully laid out their Bodies Believed Pinned Overloaded ferry capsizes jn Kenya MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) Divers searched in vain Saturday for bodies of people missing after an Overloaded ferry capsized and sank 30 feet from shore. At least 44 people were believed trapped beneath the ferry when it capsized Friday morning, said Sajjad Rashid, chairman of the Kenya Ports Authority. Police officials, speaking on dition of anonymity, said 42 bodies had been recovered and at least 71 -people were known to have survived. Because the ferry capsized so close to the dock, police said others "may have swam to shore. Rashid authorities do not know exactly -how many passengers were aboard and how many may still be unaccounted for.

A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Friday that "police believed at least 300 people aboard the government-run which was designed to carry 150 passengers. Survivors told Nairobi newspapers that they estimated 350 to 400 people were aboard. Rashid said divers using ultrasound equipment believed they found evidence of 44 bodies trapped beneath the hull of the ferry. However, he said the search was called off Saturday because of bad weather. The ferry was crossing a narrow but deep channel between the mainland and Mombasa.

Kenya's major port on the Indian Ocean and a popular tourist destination. Jackson Kalweo, a minister of state in the office of the president, said an investigation was underway to determine the cause of the accident. Grooming at Lower Prices High Street to Broadripple Road Turn Left-1 Miles On Right Closed Wednesdays By Appointment Breed Grooming Med One Home Care, Inc. provides free home care assess ments, skilled nursing visits, home health aides, and homemakers. Sitters and companions are also available.

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For years, they had to release suspects for lack of evidence. "Is it him?" asked Dino Foggi, whose son was slain in one of the killings in 1981. "I want to believe it. In this case, I don't know." The former head of the unit assigned to hunt for the killer has no doubts. "It's him," said Ruggero Perugini, who called Pacciani an "expert killer who kills with coolness." Perugini said the first time he interrogated Pacciani he was reminded of a quote from the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche: "Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster.

When you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you." The killings are linked by similarities in savagery and setting. All the victims were in cars parked in secluded areas in the gentle hills and vineyards around Florence. A Beretta pistol was used in every rampage. Six of the eight attacks occurred on Saturday nights. All but one of the attacks involved couples the exception was a pair of young German men, apparently low-budget tourists sleeping in their car, Some of the women were badly mutilated with a knife or screwdriv- er, and bits of flesh, often genitalia, were missing.

Perugini believes Pacciani may have eaten them or could have fed pieces to his unknowing family. After a double killing Sept. 9, 1985, authorities received a piece of skin in the mail. Then the violence stopped. The death count: nine men, seven women ranging in age from 18 to 36.

Pacciani first came under investigation in 1986 after police received an unsigned letter accusing him. His past record instantly made him a prime suspect. He reportedly killed a man in 1951, although apparently was not tried. He did spend four years in prison 1987 to 1991 for physical abuse of his two daughters. In 1992, a police search of his property turned up bullets hidden behind a cement block and some metal pieces believed to be part of a Beretta.

Later, they found a soap dish and some drawings believed purchased by one of the German victims, Horst Meyer. Pacciani says he found them. His defense attorneys say police reports concluded the killer had to be agile and strong. Pacciani, who is heavy-sel, was 60 at the time of the last killing. The only eyewitness is a 32- year-old woman who was in the backseat of a car when her mother was killed in 1968.

She was 6 at the time. Nearly 200 other witnesses are expected to be called, Italy doesn't have the death penalty, so Pacciani would most likely spend the res' of his life in prison if convicted. A verdict isn't expected for weeks. In court last week, Pacciani glanced up from time to time at a large TV monitor that showed some of the blood-splattered victims. Most of the time, he looked down at the wooden table or tugged at the lapels of the blue jacket he wears to court every day a present from his attorney.

In the overcrowded spectator gallery, some people sat on ledges and strained for a peek at Pacciani, surrounded by police guards at the other end of the arena-sized courtroom. Pacciani was also discussed in Vicchio, a small town northeast of Florence where Pacciani was born. Some boys in the main square pointed down the hill to a shady clearing off the road where a couple was killed in 1984. "I think a lot of them these days," said Frangioni Tiziano. "Did they scream? Did they fight back? When did they know they were going to die?" Seven Held In Tijuana Police Chief's Slaving TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) Conspiracy theories are flying as this jittery city tries to figure out if the slaying of its police chief has any connection to last month's assassination of Mexico's top presidential candidate.

"There are a lot of possibilities," said Baja California Gov. Ernesto Ruffo Appel. Seven people were detained Friday in the slayings of Police Chief Jose Federico Benitez Lopez and his bodyguard. Officials refused to identify them or provide any details. The murders fueled conspiracy theories in a nation reeling over the March 23 assassination in Tijuana of Luis Donaldo Colosio, the ruling-party candidate who had been expected to win the election.

"1 am not sure if (the killings are) related to the Colosio incident," Ruffo told reporters Friday evening. "He did report some information when Colosio was shot," Ruffo said. Benitez may have been providing "too much information" for his own good, the governor speculated. Benitez was known for his aggressive campaign against police corruption. He had fired or suspended several officers.

"He was a great fighter against crime," said Raul Marin, a spokesman for Tijuana Mayor Hector Osuna Jaime. Benitez also "showed great integrity, and had a profound vocation for public service," Osuna said in a statement. In an interview two weeks ago, Benitez told The Associated Press about a report by a special city police squad that had raised -doubts about the official version of Colosio's assassination. The report by the city police Tactical Group raised doubts about how many weapons and how many gunmen were involved. Federal authorities say one gunman killed Colosio with a revolver during a campaign rally and others are also suspected of involvement, although they discount a widespread conspiracy.

Three men hired as part of the security detail for the rally have been charged with being co-conspirators. The confessed killer, 23-year- old factory worker Mario Aburto Martinez, reiterated Friday at a hearing that he acted alone but said the shooting occurred accidentally when someone bumped his arm in the crowd. SUNDAY SAVINGS EXTRAVAGANZA SUNDAY, MAY 1 st 12 Noon-5 pm The Regular Price of Any Single Purchase in the Store I I 'Coupon good oh all regular price mwcharidlw only. savings honored on any purchase in the atore that is regular price. Excludes Catalog, Wrinkle Free, Styling lon 4 ir Stride Rite- shoes, Merchandise and Smart Value items.

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