The brutal murder of 22-year-old Albanian Ilaria Sula by her former Filipino boyfriend, Mark Antony Samson, has shocked Italy.

The gruesome crime is believed to have taken place inside the young man’s apartment on Via Homes 16, in the Africano neighborhood of Rome, while his parents were reportedly present at home. However, their role in the crime remains unclear.

According to Il Messaggero, Ilaria was at Samson’s residence—the man she had met over a year ago when both worked part-time at McDonald’s near Piazza del Popolo while studying at university.

The couple had been in a relationship for several months, but things had started to deteriorate. According to police reconstruction, on the night of the murder, Samson discovered messages that Ilaria had exchanged with another young man she had recently met on Tinder.

The two had reportedly only messaged and had not met in person, but it was enough to spark Samson’s rage. In the early hours of March 26, he allegedly took a kitchen knife and stabbed Ilaria multiple times, including a fatal wound to the neck.

He then placed her body inside a suitcase, loaded it into his car, and drove about 50 kilometers to the outskirts of Poli, a small town near Rome, a place he was familiar with from past cycling trips.

Samson reportedly threw the suitcase off a cliff and returned home, keeping Ilaria’s phone for several days. Police are still investigating the presence of his parents in the house during the crime. They are not currently under investigation but could potentially face charges of complicity.

Forensic police found small blood traces at the crime scene, believed to be Ilaria’s, and are under analysis.

Samson, 23 years old, has confessed to the murder during questioning:

“I’m sorry. I apologize for what I did,” he said.

After killing her, he used Ilaria’s mobile phone to post on her social media accounts, a move that later helped investigators piece together the crime.

Investigators are still searching for:

• Ilaria’s phone, which Samson is believed to have thrown into a manhole in Rome.
• The murder weapon, likely discarded in a trash bin in the Montesacro neighborhood.

The prosecutor has confirmed that the body was not dismembered, and that Samson cooperated with authorities in locating the suitcase.

The case continues to unfold as authorities build a fuller picture of what led to this tragic and horrific act.