Isabella Mueller (crime writer)
One woman who took justice into her own hands was the Italian serial killer Milena Quaglini, who, between 1995 and 1999, killed three men who had sexually harassed and abused her. Milena was born on 25 March 1957 in Mezzanino, in the province of Pavia in Lombardy. Her childhood was marred by her alcoholic and abusive father, which is why Milena ran away from home at the age of 18. From then on, Milena lived between Como and Lodi, where she earned a living as a carer, cashier and cleaner. She then met her future husband, with whom she had a son. At last, everything seemed to have turned out for the best for Milena. She enjoyed a happy marriage until her husband fell seriously ill with diabetes and eventually died. Milena could not cope with the loss of her beloved husband and drowned her sorrows in alcohol. Since his death, Milena had suffered from depression, which is why she took antidepressants. She moved to Travacó Siccomario, where she met and fell in love with the lorry driver Mario Fogli. She married this domineering and pathologically jealous man. Two daughters were born of this violent marriage. As Mario was terrified that Milena might cheat on him with a colleague whilst at work, she was forced to give up her job. However, the money was not enough to live on, which is why the house was soon sold at auction. Milena then drew a line under her marriage to Mario. Without further ado, she moved to Este with her two daughters. Milena worked as a receptionist at a gym in the Veneto region. However, the money was not enough to live on, so she took a job as a carer for 83-year-old Giusto Dalla Pozza. He lent her 4 million lire, which he demanded be repaid on 25 October 1995. Milena was to pay him 500,000 lire a month; if she failed to do so, she was to provide him with sexual favours. But Milena refused, which led to a violent row that ended with Milena fending off Giusto’s attempted rape by hitting him over the head with a lamp. Milena left the house and called an ambulance. Giusto died of his injuries in hospital. Initially, the Carabinieri assumed it had been a tragic accident, until Milena confessed to everything; she was sentenced to 20 months’ imprisonment for excessive self-defence. Milena then returned to Mario. She wanted to give her marriage a second chance. But soon the relationship was in crisis again. Milena turned to the bottle again and calmed herself with antidepressants, until she attempted suicide by taking an overdose of sleeping tablets and slitting her wrists. Milena was saved. Yet the marriage remained marred by violence until, on 2 August 1998, Milena made short work of him. Milena was once again dead drunk. After putting her daughters to bed, she went into the bedroom to join Mario, who was already asleep. Just for fun, she wrapped a roller shutter cord round his neck. When he woke up, he fought back fiercely. Eventually, Milena strangled Mario with the cord. She then wrapped him in a bloodstained blanket and rolled him up in a carpet, which she placed on the balcony. At around 4 o’clock in the afternoon, she alerted the police. She was sentenced to 6 years and 8 months’ imprisonment for the murder of her husband, which she served in a rehabilitation centre. The sentence was quite lenient, as Milena had been classified as mentally ill. She was released from the centre after less than a year. Despite having gone through alcohol withdrawal, Milena relapsed into drinking. She soon met a man called Salvatore, who took her in. But when he tried to rape her, she fled and reported him to the police. Through this, she met Angelo Porrello, a convicted sex offender who had sexually abused his three daughters. Angelo had spent 6.5 years in prison for this. Naturally, the relationship with Angelo was bound to fail, and Milena killed him at her home on 5 October 1995. Milena was supposed to dress seductively that day, but she didn’t feel like it. Angelo then beat Milena and raped her twice. After he threatened to rape her a third time, Milena persuaded Angelo to take a break. She made him a coffee, into which she dissolved 20 of her tranquillisers. Angelo collapsed immediately after drinking it. Milena took him into the bathroom, where she placed him in a bath filled with water. She then left the house. When she returned, Angelo had already drowned. She disposed of the body on a dung heap. Milena quickly came under suspicion. After drugs and traces of DNA were found in the house, Milena confessed to the murder. Angelo’s body was found two weeks after the murder, on 20 October 1999. Milena was sentenced to a prison term at Vigevano Prison. She underwent therapy to manage her depression. During this time, Milena painted a great deal. However, on 16 October 2001, she took her own life. Using a hook in her locker, she cut her sheet into strips, with which she hanged herself. She was discovered by a prison guard at 1.50 am. She was still alive, but died at 2.15 am in A&E. Milena had left a suicide note for her three children, in which she apologised to them. Her tragic life continues to provide ample material for books and films to this day.
