US Man Faces Life Sentence in Italy for Murder of Wife and Daughter
Prosecutor seeks maximum penalty for Francis Kaufmann, accused of killing his partner and 13-month-old child in Rome.
An Italian prosecutor is seeking a life sentence for U.S. citizen Francis Kaufmann, who is accused of murdering his partner and their 13-month-old daughter. The bodies of the mother and child were discovered in a park in Rome in June 2025.
Kaufmann was arrested on the Greek island of Skiathos a week after the bodies were found in Villa Pamphili. Evidence including witness testimony and surveillance footage led to his apprehension. The prosecutor, Antonio Verdi, requested the life sentence along with three years of daytime solitary confinement.
Verdi described Kaufmann, who also used the alias Rexal Ford, as manipulative and narcissistic, though the motive for the killings has not been publicly detailed by investigators. Kaufmann is currently being held in a Rome jail and has maintained his innocence throughout the trial.
A first-instance verdict in the double homicide case is expected on November 5. Italian law allows defendants to pursue two levels of appeal.
