She believed her son's survival required a sacrifice. She made three.
Leonarda Cianciulli was an Italian woman convicted of murdering three women in the town of Correggio between 1939 and 1940, dissolving their remains in caustic soda to make soap and mixing their blood into teacakes she served to neighbors, believing the killings would protect her eldest son from harm.
Early Life and Loss
Cianciulli was born in 1894 in Montella, in southern Italy, and attempted suicide twice as a young woman. She married Raffaele Pansardi in 1917 against her mother's wishes, who reportedly cursed the marriage. The couple moved several times over the following years, including a period when Cianciulli served time for fraud, and later lost their home in the devastating 1930 Irpinia earthquake.
Cianciulli became pregnant 17 times over the course of her marriage; only four of her children survived past infancy or childhood. Deeply shaken by these losses, she consulted fortune tellers repeatedly, one of whom warned her that any children she had would die young, and another who told her she would face both prison and a criminal asylum in her future.
A Fear for Her Son
In 1939, Cianciulli learned her eldest son, Giuseppe, would be joining the Italian army as World War II approached. Consumed by fear for his safety and convinced by her superstitious beliefs, she decided that human sacrifice was necessary to protect him, and identified three middle-aged women in her neighborhood, several of whom had come to her personally seeking fortune-telling or life advice, as her targets.
The Murders
Cianciulli's first victim, Faustina Setti, was an unmarried woman seeking help finding a husband. Cianciulli told her she had arranged an introduction in another city and had her write letters to family describing the fictional trip in advance. When Setti came to say goodbye, Cianciulli gave her drugged wine and killed her with an axe, then dismembered her body, dissolving most of it in caustic soda and later using her blood, dried and mixed with ordinary baking ingredients, to make teacakes she shared with visitors, her son, and herself.
Her second victim, Francesca Soavi, was lured with the promise of a teaching position abroad in September 1940 and killed the same way. Her third and final victim, Virginia Cacioppo, a former opera singer, was promised secretarial work with an entertainment manager and killed later that same month, her remains also turned into soap and teacakes.
Discovery
Cacioppo's sister-in-law grew suspicious after her disappearance, recalling that she had last been seen heading to Cianciulli's home, and reported her concerns to police. Investigators traced the pattern back to Cianciulli, who initially denied involvement. When police began to suspect her son Giuseppe instead, Cianciulli confessed fully to protect him, describing the murders and their aftermath in extensive detail during questioning.
Trial and Sentencing
Cianciulli's trial took place in 1946 in Reggio Emilia. She showed little remorse, at one point correcting the prosecutor on procedural details during testimony. She was found guilty and sentenced to 30 years in prison plus an additional three years to be served in a criminal asylum. While incarcerated, she wrote a memoir describing her actions as sacrifices intended to ward off the fate she believed had been foretold for her children.
Death and Legacy
Cianciulli died on October 15, 1970, of a stroke, in the women's criminal asylum in Pozzuoli, Italy, at age 76. Items connected to the case, including the pot she used to process her victims' remains, are held at the Criminological Museum in Rome. Her story has been adapted multiple times, including the 1977 Italian film "Gran Bollito," in which she was portrayed by American actress Shelley Winters, and a 1979 stage production, "Love and Magic in Mama's Kitchen," presented at Italy's Spoleto Festival.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people did Leonarda Cianciulli kill?
Three confirmed victims: Faustina Setti, Francesca Soavi, and Virginia Cacioppo, all killed between 1939 and 1940.
Why did she kill them?
She believed the murders were necessary sacrifices to protect her eldest son, Giuseppe, as he prepared to join the Italian army during World War II, a belief shaped by superstitious warnings she'd received from fortune tellers over the years.
What was her actual sentence?
30 years in prison plus an additional three years in a criminal asylum. She died in the asylum before completing that portion of her sentence.