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A 43-year-old Swiss man suffering from psychological issues has confessed to fatally shooting an Italian woman at a rave party in Aarau, Switzerland, police and prosecutors said.
The suspect, a resident of the canton of Jura, turned himself in and admitted to the shooting, citing long-standing health problems. He remains in custody on charges of intentional homicide, bodily harm, and firearms violations. Authorities found two pistols and an AK-74 rifle in his vehicle, with forensic analysis linking the weapons to cartridge cases at the scene. A search of his home revealed no evidence of ideological or extremist motives, according to Aargau cantonal police commander Michael Leupold.
The shooting occurred early Sunday as the annual rave at Aarau’s racecourse was ending, killing 22-year-old Maria Spinelli and injuring six others. Spinelli, who had recently moved to Switzerland for work, was struck by a bullet in a vital upper-body organ, her family’s lawyer, Bruno Gallo, said in a statement. Gallo called for a full investigation into how the suspect, despite his psychological issues, was legally in possession of firearms, and urged Swiss and Italian authorities to examine potential oversight failures.
The suspect had no prior police record and left the army in 2013, returning his service weapon at that time, Leupold said. Gallo also requested Italian authorities arrange a state flight to repatriate Spinelli’s body.
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