London art dealer arrested in Italy for suspicion of murdering her mother with rosary beads - Telegraph

What role does religious belief in possession play in this action? It is a question I continue to ask myself every time a story, such as the following, comes to light.  Whether mental illness is present or not, the idea had to come from somewhere.

A London art dealer is in prison in Italy accused of murdering her 93-year-old mother by stuffing a rosary down her throat in an attempt to “cleanse” her of evil spirits.

Italian-born Francesca Martire, 61, who ran a successful design, furniture and lighting dealership in St John’s Wood, is undergoing psychiatric assessments after being arrested for the alleged murder of her mother, Maria Luigia Magazzile.

The alleged killing happened when the London-based designer was visiting her elderly mother in their home town of Taranto, in the far south ofItaly.

Mrs Martire, who had lived in Britain since 1986, has told her lawyer and police that she believed her mother’s apartment was infested with evil spirits and that by shoving the rosary in her mouth she was attempting to perform a sort of exorcism.

“She said she wanted to purify her mother of malign spirits,” Fabrizio Lamanna, Mrs Martire’s lawyer, told The Telegraph.

London art dealer arrested in Italy for suspicion of murdering her mother with rosary beads - Telegraph