Filipino-Italian gets life imprisonment for murder of ex-girlfriend in Rome

ROME, Italy — Mark Antony Samson, a 24-year-old Filipino-Italian, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his former girlfriend, Ilaria Sula, a 22-year-old university student whose killing shocked Italy in March 2025.

The Court of Rome handed down the sentence on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, in a first-instance judgment (sentenza di primo grado), following hours of deliberations.

The court accepted the prosecution’s request for life imprisonment, recognizing the aggravating circumstances of premeditation, trivial motives, and the former romantic relationship between Samson and the victim. He was also convicted of concealing her body.

A crime that shocked Italy

Sula, a student at Sapienza University of Rome who was originally from Terni, in the Umbria region, and of Albanian origin, was killed on March 26, 2025, at the apartment where Samson lived with his family in Rome.

According to investigators, Samson stabbed his former girlfriend to death before placing her body inside a suitcase and abandoning it in a ravine, approximately 40 kilometres from Rome. Her body was discovered on April 2, 2025, following an extensive search launched after she was reported missing.

Samson subsequently confessed to the killing. During questioning, he claimed that Sula had visited him on March 25 to return some of his belongings and had stayed overnight at his apartment. He said he attacked her the following morning. Prosecutors, however, maintained that the murder had been planned.

Investigators also established that Samson attempted to mislead authorities in the aftermath of the killing. He reportedly used the victim’s mobile phone to send messages and publish social media posts, creating the impression that she was still alive. He also reportedly deleted her social media accounts.

In addition, Samson allegedly visited the boarding house where Sula lived, presenting himself as someone concerned about her disappearance and asking where she might be found.

Murder weapon never recovered

According to investigators, Samson claimed that he had thrown the knife used in the killing into a rubbish bin in Rome. However, media reports indicate that the murder weapon was never recovered.

Sula’s mobile phone, initially believed to have been discarded, was recovered by investigators on April 23, 2025, inside the apartment where the killing took place. Reports indicated that the device was found in the bedroom used by Samson’s parents.

Mother receives a suspended two-year sentence

In a related development, Samson’s mother, identified in Italian media reports as Nora Manlapaz, was also convicted in connection with the case.

She received a two-year sentence following a plea agreement for her involvement in concealing the victim’s body. According to reports, she admitted to helping her son clean the room in the family’s apartment in Rome to remove traces of blood after the killing.

Although she was convicted, she will not serve time in prison because the court granted her a suspended sentence under the applicable legal provisions.

Filipino community in shock

The case has sent shockwaves through Rome and the wider Filipino community in Italy, particularly among those who knew the Samson family.

People who knew Mark reportedly described him as a quiet and kind young man, making the crime difficult for them to comprehend. In a television interview, his uncle expressed disbelief over his nephew’s involvement in the killing.

“He was a good boy, and I never imagined he could commit such a crime,” he said.

The convictions of Samson and his mother have brought renewed attention to the tragic case, which has deeply affected the Samson family and friends and sent shockwaves through the Filipino community across Italy. The case also raises painful questions about the lengths to which a mother may go to protect her child, even in the aftermath of a grave crime. —LDF, GMA News