Italian Court Confirms Pretrial Detention in Killing of Brazilian Woman in Verona Province

Overview

• A judge at Montorio prison on October 31 confirmed preventive custody for Douglas Reis Pedroso, who was detained on October 28 in Valeggio sul Mincio after confessing.
• Investigators say he phoned police expressing suicidal intent, admitted the killing, directed officers to the Castelnuovo del Garda apartment where Jéssica Stappazzollo’s body was found, and a knife was recovered from his car.
• Verona prosecutors classify the homicide as a feminicide and report a disproportionate number of stab wounds, with an autopsy scheduled at the Borgo Roma forensic institute.
• Records detail multiple domestic-violence incidents from 2024 to 2025, including an April 21 assault that led to electronic monitoring and a 500‑meter stay-away order, and he was not wearing the device when arrested.
• About 400 people attended a municipal vigil in Castelnuovo del Garda to honor the victim, as reports note the personal alarm issued to her was found in her mother’s garage in Mantua.