Another femicide in Italy. In Messina a 50 year old woman, Daniela Zinnantiwas stabbed to death in her home in Via Lombardia, in the southern area of the city.
The body was found by her daughter, worried because her mother wasn’t answering the phone. The victim’s ex-partner was immediately arrested for the murder, and during the interrogation he confessed and was taken to prison.
According to the investigators’ initial reconstructions, the man showed up at the woman’s house to talk to her, probably in an attempt to restart the relationship.
Faced with the woman’s refusal, the situation would have degenerated: the man would have taken a knife and hit her dozens of times, killing her.
A detail that makes the matter even more serious: the man was already under house arrest with an electronic bracelet for crimes against the person, including violence and threats.
The knife found near a dumpster
The agents of the Messina flying squad recovered the murder weapon, a knife thrown into a dumpster not far from the victim’s home.
According to what emerged from the initial investigations, about a month ago the man had already attacked the woman, who ended up in hospital. Zinnanti had filed a complaint, which was then withdrawn.
The relationship between the two, according to the testimonies collected by the investigators, had long been marked by arguments and breakups: a relationship defined as “troubled”, made up of separations and attempts at rapprochement. In the meantime, the police have acquired images from surveillance cameras in the area, which could help precisely reconstruct what happened.
The numbers of Non Una di Meno
According to data updated on March 8 by Non Una di mMeno, in the first months of 2026 in Italy there have already been registered 10 feminicides and at least 22 attempted murders. In total they are 13 deaths linked to gender violence since the beginning of the year, including the suicide of a trans girl and two cases still to be clarified.
The victims also include 17-year-old Zoe Trinchero, killed by her best friend’s ex-boyfriend, and Federica Torzullo, murdered by her husband and then buried in a quarry.
We talked about it here: Federica Torzullo and those women killed twice: destroyed and hidden, like a problem to be eliminated
The most recurring data is always the same: in in all cases the killer knew the victim, often a partner, ex-partner or family member. The victims have among 14 to 85 years old, a sign that gender violence affects every age and social context. In 2025, there were 84 feminicides registered in Italy, while in 2024 there were 99.
Don’t call it raptus
The same narrative every time: quarrel, rapture, jealousy, “complicated” relationship. Yet, what we should all have understood long ago is that feminicides rarely come suddenly. They are almost always preceded by clear signals, complaints, attacks, threats. Even in this case.
An already violent man. A woman already beaten. A complaint withdrawn.
History repeats itself because violence against women is not an isolated event nor a sudden explosion of anger. It is a deep-rooted cultural and social mechanism that continues to consider a woman’s rejection as something unacceptable.
And so it still happens that a “no” becomes a death sentence. As long as we continue to talk about these crimes as private dramas or sudden tragedies, without really addressing the root of the problem, we will also continue to count others. Unfortunately.
