Italy - Beau Solomon, 19, UW student, Rome, 30 June 2016 *Arrest*

[kaen]

When students go abroad, i wonder what the safety training is and how much occurs on the ground when they arrive. They all think they are worldly and most are soooo not. I am aching for this family as they have already had a hard row to hoe with him.

 

[sweetcaro]

So sad. Praying for justice.

Sent from my SM-T550 using Tapatalk

 

[savagewoman]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...student-found-dead-in-rome-s-tiber-river.html

investigated as a homicide after someone used his credit card to rack up more than $1,500 in charges in Milan...
police somehow failed to connect testimony from two Italians who reported seeing someone being “hurled off a bridge” about a mile upriver from where Solomon’s body was found. Police apparently did not send officers to investigate the scene when the report was made in the early hours of Friday morning.
Local police also apparently failed to make an immediate connection on Sunday night when they found the body of a young man with serious wounds to his head without any identification in a seedy section of Rome’s Tiber River, where it is common to find the remnants of stolen purses and wallets that float down the river and get stuck in the overgrown trees that line the banks.

​Solomon’s credit card was used in Milan over the weekend, and police were working under the assumption that the young man had perhaps made the charges. Only when the American embassy pressured police to find the missing student did they put all the pieces together.

 

[TeaTime]

No one should ever walk alone anywhere. The world never has been and never will be a safe place. Sad, but true. There are predators among us.

 

[mrsobrien]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...student-found-dead-in-rome-s-tiber-river.html

This is infuriating!

 

[katydid23]

That is so sad and heartbreaking and it makes me mad too. RIP young man :rose:

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

After reading savagewoman's link from the Daily Beast, I'm not very encouraged about this investigation.

 

[shana]

After reading savagewoman's link from the Daily Beast, I'm not very encouraged about this investigation.

ITA! And if Beau's family has been considering in the least its own private investigator, I hope the Solomons move on that choice NOW.

~jmo~

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

ITA! And if they've been considering in the least their own private investigator, I hope they move on that choice NOW.

~jmo~

Totally - they need a P.I. on this case now!

I wonder how this went down. Do they drug their mark, then take/drag him outside somehow? Beat him up, rob him in the parking lot and then drive him to the bridge? You would think there would have to be witnesses to whatever occurred either inside or outside of the bar. (I hope someone has checked the cameras.) Geez, I hate to think of how awful this had to be for him. His family must be absolutely crushed and I feel so badly for them. As ninij mentioned upthread, you want your kids to spread their wings and you allow them freedom - who would ever expect something this horrific to happen?

 

[shana]

Totally - they need a P.I. on this case now!

I wonder how this went down. Do they drug their mark, then take/drag him outside somehow? Beat him up, rob him in the parking lot and then drive him to the bridge? You would think there would have to be witnesses to whatever occurred either inside or outside of the bar. (I hope someone has checked the cameras.) Geez, I hate to think of how awful this had to be for him. His family must be absolutely crushed and I feel so badly for them. As ninij mentioned upthread, you want your kids to spread their wings and you allow them freedom - who would ever expect something this horrific to happen?

I read in one of numerous articles today that Beau's parents had instructed him about pick-pocket threats (sorry, no link). I certainly do not fault them for not listing each & every threat a person in Italy or in the USA or the entire world might face any day or night.

Then in more articles, I read a report about two alleged eyewitnesses to a man throwing a body over a bridge in the area on that very night.

And finally, FOUR days later, this young man's body is found not too far down river where trash and stolen goods apparently collect. :-/

The need for a P.I. is clear to me.

R.I.P. Beau Solomon, with heartfelt condolences to your family and friends who will miss you so much, along with strangers like us who mourn your loss too.

~jmo~

 

[SneezySnooper]

Police have detained a suspect:

Italian police say they have detained a homeless man in the death of an American student whose body was found in the Tiber River.
Police identified the suspect as Massimo Galioto, a 40-year-old man from Rome. In a statement Tuesday, police said he was taken into custody because he was "seriously implicated" in the murder.

Source: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/df38...n-police-arrest-homeless-man-death-us-student

EDIT:

Another article:

On Monday morning, police in Rome said they had arrested a man in connection with the case. Massimo Galioto, a 40-year-old from Rome of no fixed address, was stopped overnight on murder charges and is the prime suspect in the case, police said in a statement.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news...ce-treating-us-students-death-as-says-brother

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

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Thanks for the update Sneezy.

This suspect is homeless - most homeless people don't own cars. I wonder how Beau was transported to the bridge?

 

[Cryptic]

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Thanks for the update Sneezy.

This suspect is homeless - most homeless people don't own cars. I wonder how Beau was transported to the bridge?

I agree, the "homeless" suspect might be a code word for somebody else.

Unless the Italian homeless are far more aggressive than their U.S. colleagues, even the criminally inclined amongst them are not given to attacking and killing a 19 year old man, who judging by his photograph, looks prettty strongly built. This would hold true even if the potential victim was intoxicated. Of course, aggressive panhandling, in conjunction with a wallet or more likely, back pack "snatch and run" are other matters.

Rome has seen an influx of tens of thousands of migrants in recent months. Many of these people could be described as being "homeless". Some elements of the European and US governments are loathe to criticize this population due to PC poltical ideaology (migrants are no more, and no less likely to be productive than natives). Thus, it is possible that "homeless" could be used as a code word for "migrant". Though I dont imagine that many own cars, it is not beyond the possibility that one person in a group of them does.

 

[barcode]

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Thanks for the update Sneezy.

This suspect is homeless - most homeless people don't own cars. I wonder how Beau was transported to the bridge?

Not true, many may live in their cars but the key word above was he "was STOPPED overnight", I doubt the use of that word would be referring to him walking

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Jul 5 2016, 10:39 am ET

Beau Solomon Death: Studying Abroad Can Be Deadly, Grieving Moms Warn

by F. Brinley Bruton and Bernie Lubell

Roshni Thackurdeen knows the pain U.S. sophomore Beau Solomon's family is suffering after the teen was murdered not long after arriving in Italy to study abroad.

Since the death of her own child during a similar program, she has dedicated her life to creating transparent and comprehensive safety reporting and regulations for the student travel industry.

After Wisconsin native Solomon was found dead in Rome's Tiber River on Monday, the former school counselor felt furious.

"Our children are our future," Thackurdeen told NBC News. "It's America's future and we're not protecting them. That makes me very angry." ...

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...ng-abroad-can-be-deadly-grieving-moms-n603806

 

[margarita25]

http://abc7chicago.com/news/brother-wisconsin-students-death-being-treated-as-homicide/1412631/

From the above link:

"Beau Solomon was the star quarterback of his high school football team. He took enough advanced placement classes in high school that when combined with his summer in Italy would allow him to graduate in only three years.

All of this after battling cancer throughout most of his childhood.

"He had over 15 to 20 procedures growing up throughout his life and was able to overcome all of that," said Cole Solomon."

 

[MelmothTheLost]

I agree, the "homeless" suspect might be a code word for somebody else.

Rome has seen an influx of tens of thousands of migrants in recent months. Many of these people could be described as being "homeless". Some elements of the European and US governments are loathe to criticize this population due to PC poltical ideaology (migrants are no more, and no less likely to be productive than natives). Thus, it is possible that "homeless" could be used as a code word for "migrant". Though I dont imagine that many own cars, it is not beyond the possibility that one person in a group of them does.

Italy has been experiencing immigration issues for a number of years. It is a favoured destination for Romanians because of the similarity between Romanian and Italian, and has attracted a lot of Roma from Romania and other parts of eastern Europe. The Roma have become a major problem on the streets because of street crime including theft and aggressive begging, and especially using their children to carry out crimes because of the problems the authorities have in arresting and dealing with children. The problem is so acute that many cities and parts of cities are in danger of becoming no-go for tourists because of the hassle caused.

This is of course without the massive influx of migrants from Africa through Libya. There is a tendency for these migrants to disappear from hostels where they are lodged and go awol and end up living under the radar. Many are involved in various forms of street trading and petty crime.

It's worth noting that one fairly legitimate job which migrants seem to fall into is taxi driving, which of course gives them access to a vehicle.

 

[Hopeful One]

This is sooo sad. I grew up in Spring Green and went to River Valley (Beau's high school). It's a very small town with a huge emphasis on the arts (acting and music especially) and is full of wonderful people. I don't live there anymore and I didn't know Beau or his family but this has to be shaking the entire community to the core. My heart goes out to all of them.

It hits home even more because my 17-yo son just returned from a trip to Europe a few months ago. He visited Rome. My biggest fear for him over there was terrorism or some seemingly random act like this. I cannot even imagine how Beau's parents are coping.

 

[Cryptic]

From the above link:

"Beau Solomon was the star quarterback of his high school football team.

So he not only looked strongly uilt, he was a former football player. Something tells me that there might be more to this than being over powered and killed by a run of the mill homeless guy. Then factor in that most homeless people do not have cars and though they have use of cash, have little use for credit cards.

Italy has been experiencing immigration issues for a number of years. It is a favoured destination for Romanians because of the similarity between Romanian and Italian, and has attracted a lot of Roma from Romania and other parts of eastern Europe. The Roma have become a major problem on the streets because of street crime including theft and aggressive begging

This is of course without the massive influx of migrants from Africa through Libya. There is a tendency for these migrants to disappear from hostels where they are lodged and go awol and end up living under the radar. Many are involved in various forms of street trading and petty crime. It's worth noting that one fairly legitimate job which migrants seem to fall into is taxi driving, which of course gives them access to a vehicle.

Excellent point regarding the possibility of the attacker being a migrant (thus the technically homeless label) with access to a car that is used as an unregistered taxi.

The fact that the victim was not only killed, but then dumped in a river does not seem to be Roma style. Rather, I could see them noticing that he was intoxicated and thus as easy mark for being pick pocketed, or even being assaulted and robbed. Deliberate murder, however, does not seem to be their usual operating pattern. Rather, if they had killed the victim, it would have been accidental and probably not immediately noticed (attacker intended to only club the victim unconcious, but later realized he had killed him and then simply fled).

 

[Coquette]

Far more detailed information.

http://www.thelocal.it/20160705/homeless-man-arrested-over-american-students-murder

Massimo Galioto, from Rome, was arrested for manslaughter, police said in a statement.

Solomon’s body was found in Rome’s Tiber river, near Ponte Marconi, on Monday morning, three days after he went missing.

Galioto's companion, with whom he shares a tent on the embankment, told Italy's Rai Uno he had not meant to hurt the student.

A drunk Solomon had "bumped into Massimo and they began to argue. They were pushing each other. Massimo pushed him, the boy pushed back, and then he fell in the water," she said

His bank card had been used while he was missing by someone who withdrew over €1,500 ($1,675) in Milan, but Galioto's companion said the homeless man had nothing to do with the theft, accusing foreign thieves instead.