Convicted killer dies after falling from roof of iconic Milan landmark

Emergency services respond to the scene in Milan this afternoon (Picture: Marco Ottico/LaPresse/Shutterstock)

A prisoner has died after falling from the Milan Duomo cathedral.

Convicted murderer Emanuele De Maria had gone on the run yesterday after stabbing a colleague,Italian news agency ANSA reported.

He had permission to work as a receptionist in a local hotel,where he is reported to have stabbed the other employee before disappearing.

De Maria was identified as the man who fell from the cathedral by his tattoos on both arms,the agency said.

He was serving a 15-year sentence for murdering Oumaima Racheb,a 23-year-old Tunisian girl,in Caserta,southern Italy,in 2016.

Police vehicles parked outside the cathedral this afternoon (Picture: Marco Ottico/LaPresse/Shutterstock)

Milano Today reported he was arrested in Germany in 2018 after living as a fugitive in the Netherland.

After no additional concerns were raised about his behaviour,he was granted permission to work at at the Hotel Berna,near Milan’s central station,as long as he followed an approved route there which he would not depart from.

In this weekend’s incident,the paper said Hani Fouad Abdelghaffar Nasr was stabbed in front of the hotel on Via Napo Torriani yesterday morning.

The Duomo di Milano is one of Italy’s most famous landmarks (Picture: Marco Ottico/LaPresse/Shutterstock)

The 50-year-old Italian Egyptian is recovering after having an operation to his neck and chest.

Police are also investigating the unexplained death of another colleague,barmaid Arachchilage Dona Chamila Wijesuriyauna,whose body was found in a lake today after she went missing two days ago.

Local media reported she had met with De Maria,who is suspected of involvement in her death. She was seen meeting with him on Friday,but CCTV footage showed him returning alone.

Witnesses to his fall from the cathedral today said it appeared to be a ‘voluntary act’,and he died at the scene shortly before 2pm local time.

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