Beasts of Satan: Italy’s Cult Murders

Send us a textThe Beasts of Satan emerged from Milan's late 1990s heavy metal scene as something far more sinister than rebellious teenagers. What began with music, black clothing, and typical adolescent rebellion evolved into ritualistic murder that would horrify Italy and captivate international attention.At the core of this shocking case were three figures: unpredictable drug user Andrea Volpe, manipulative leader Nicola Sapone, and steady metal devotee Paolo  Leoni. Their circle was bound by more than music – they conducted blood oaths, animal sacrifices, and increasingly dangerous rituals to prove loyalty. When 16-year-old Fabio Tolles and 19-year-old Chiara Marino disappeared after leaving a popular metal club in January 1998, few suspected their supposed friends had lured them to an isolated field for ritual murder.The breakthrough came six years later when another murder – that of Volpe's ex-girlfriend Mariangela Pezzotta – led to arrests and confessions revealing the group's horrific secrets.The ensuing trials exposed how far the group had fallen: targeting Chiara as a "symbolic virgin," beating Fabio to death for trying to protect her, and even burying Mariangela alive in a greenhouse after a failed shooting attempt. The sentences were appropriately severe – life imprisonment for the ringleader and decades-long terms for the others, including 18-year-old Elisabetta Ballarin whose involvement particularly shocked the public.But beyond the sensationalism lies the real story: a father's relentless six-year search for his son, four innocent lives destroyed, and the dangerous confluence of drugs, manipulation and the desperate need to belong. Listen now to understand how ordinary teenagers became killers, and why we should remember the victims' names rather than those who took their lives.Support the show