Story By Marija Stojkoska
News Editor Ajda Ender
A US-born woman has been found dead inside a woodland home in Italy after her partner suffocated her with a pillow after what was reportedly a jealous row.
Picture shows Becken Olivieri, 50, undated. He is accused of killing Mary Elizabeth Hopkins. Note: Private picture. (Newsflash/NX)
Mary Elizabeth Hopkins was found dead inside the isolated house where she had been living with her partner in the small inland community of Ceriana, near Sanremo in the province of Imperia, Liguria region, on 27th June.
The 54-year-old woman, originally from the United States, lived in the property on Strada Mainardo with Becken Olivieri, a 51-year-old Italian man of Mauritian origin.
Picture shows Becken Olivieri, 50, undated. He is accused of killing Mary Elizabeth Hopkins. Note: Private picture. (Newsflash/NX)
Investigators believe Mary Elizabeth Hopkins was suffocated with a pillow inside the couple’s residence in a suspected femicide, with reports the pair had argued before she was killed.
Her death is thought to have occurred on the night between 26th and 27th June, before Becken Olivieri later presented himself at the Carabinieri station in Sanremo during the afternoon.
Olivieri reportedly said he had not intended to kill her and realised too late that she was dead. He said once he understood what had happened, he went straight to the Carabinieri.
Picture shows Becken Olivieri, 50, undated. He is accused of killing Mary Elizabeth Hopkins. Note: Private picture. (Newsflash/NX)
He has been detained and officers who are considering the possibility that a domestic argument escalated inside the home have not yet released a confirmed motive.
The public prosecutor in Imperia, Francesco Monaco, attended the scene alongside a forensic doctor tasked with initial examinations.
An external post-mortem inspection was carried out before the body was removed for a full autopsy.
The autopsy is expected to determine the precise cause and timing of death.
Reports indicate that an external examination of the body found injuries consistent with both suffocation and pressure from a pillow pressed against her face.
The property has been sealed off by investigators to allow forensic teams to carry out technical examinations.
Olivieri has been formally detained on suspicion of homicide and transferred to Villa Armea prison in Sanremo.
Picture shows the house where the crime occurred, in Ceriana, Italy. The victim Mary Elizabeth Hopkins lived in the house with her partner Becken Olivieri, 50, who is suspected to have killed her. Note: Picture is a screenshot from video. (Newsflash/NX)
Further inquiries are ongoing as investigators await the results of the autopsy.
(Marija Stojkoska/Newsflash)
