A California man, Charles Francis Kaufmann, 47, has been found guilty in a Rome court of murdering his Russian partner, Anastasia Trofimova, 28, and their 11-month-old daughter, Andromeda. He was sentenced to life in prison, with three years to be served in solitary confinement.
The grim discovery of the bodies was made in June 2025 in Rome's Villa Doria Pamphili park. Trofimova's body was found beneath a black bag, and her infant daughter was discovered under nearby bushes. Prosecutors stated that Trofimova was killed first in early June 2025, with CCTV footage later showing Kaufmann carrying their baby to the park and returning alone about an hour later.
Kaufmann fled Italy but was apprehended weeks later on the Greek island of Skiathos before being extradited. During police interviews and throughout his trial, Kaufmann denied any involvement, claiming his partner had left him for another man and accusing Italian authorities of conspiracy.
His defense argued that the prosecution's case relied solely on circumstantial evidence. However, evidence presented included witness accounts, police logs detailing encounters with a drunken and erratic Kaufmann carrying the baby days before the discovery, and his subsequent flight to Greece using a passport under one of his aliases.
Kaufmann, who also went by the alias Rexal Ford, had previously attracted attention in Italy for securing approximately $1 million in government tax credits for a film that was never made. This incident led to the dismissal of a senior Culture Ministry official.
Investigators identified the victims after a missing-persons TV show aired images of Trofimova's tattoos, prompting tips from viewers. Forensic examinations revealed that both mother and daughter had been suffocated and strangled. The infant may have been deprived of food for days prior to her death.
Kaufmann, who had also lived under other names including Daniel R Foster and Matteo Capozzi, met Trofimova in Malta in 2022. Their daughter, Andromeda, was born in June 2024, and the family later settled in Rome. During their time in Italy, Kaufmann reportedly presented himself as a filmmaker, entertaining potential investors and boasting of international film projects. He was not present for the verdict, and his lawyer stated that Kaufmann had refused to meet with him since June.