Diksha Sundriyal
In ‘House of Gucci,’ the story of Patrizia Reggiani and Maurizio Gucci takes center stage, ending catastrophically with Maurizio’s death. The film charts the origins of their romance, their years away from the Gucci empire, and their return to a turbulent time, which becomes even more chaotic as their marriage begins to fall apart. While Maurizio tries to resurrect the family and brand name, danger looms around him in the form of Patrizia’s anger. His murder is shocking, but it also raises questions about why Patrizia did it, and more importantly, how she was caught. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Patrizia May Have Been Spurred to Murder by Heartbreak and Anger
While Patrizia Reggiani was convicted in 1998 for hiring a hitman to kill Maurizio Gucci on March 27, 1995, she has always claimed innocence. A clear reason for her actions has not been established, but testimonies from other individuals involved in the case provide hints about her motives. Reportedly, some time after she was released from prison, an Italian TV crew showed up outside her workplace in Milan and asked her why she hired a hitman and didn’t kill Maurizio herself. To this, she reportedly said, “My eyesight is not so good. I didn’t want to miss.” Later, this was dismissed as a humorous remark by those who knew her, but the statement was interesting enough to have found its way into the movie. Over the years, several speculations have been made about why she did it.
The most common assumption is that she was angry with Maurizio for ousting her from the Gucci family and business, and feared that his second marriage to Paola Franchi would lead to her losing a substantial amount of money she had received as part of the divorce settlement. She feared that this would also affect her daughters’ chances of getting the Gucci family inheritance, in case Maurizio and Franchi ended up having children. Her jealousy of Franchi and bitterness towards Maurizio seem to be major drivers for her actions, but she herself has never come forward and confessed her motives. While Patrizia may never reveal her intentions, it wasn’t hidden from anyone that she resented Maurizio deeply. By this time, she had hounded him with messages, where she threatened to kill him several times.
When he stopped taking her calls, she started sending him taped messages to show him just how much she hated him. In one recording, she called him a “monster” and said, “The inferno for you is yet to come.” In an interview with The Guardian, she confessed that she had been angry with her husband about several things at the time. Most importantly, she blamed him for losing the family business. By that time, Maurizio had been forced to sell his shares, completely relinquishing control of the company and leaving no one from the Gucci family to stake a claim further. “It was stupid. It was a failure. I was filled with rage, but there was nothing I could do,” Patrizia said. She added, “He shouldn’t have done that to me.” This suggests that she harbored a deep-seated bitterness towards Maurizio, particularly because his actions led to her being removed from the Gucci name, which she believed she had earned the right to be a part of.
An Anonymous Tip-Off Led to Patrizia’s Downfall
When the investigation into Maurizio Gucci’s murder began, Patrizia Reggiani seemed to be the only suspect. Her messages, almost each and every one of which was a threat to Maurizio’s life, were enough to make the cops wonder if she went through with her threats. The problem was that there was no evidence to support this theory. In fact, for reportedly two years, there were no major strides in the case, and for a minute, it seemed that the case would remain unsolvable. But then, an unexpected tip came in. The person to call in the tip was a police informant named Gabriele. Reportedly, he’d recently returned from South America and was looking for a job and a place to live.
He found a temporary house for himself in a cheap hotel outside of Milan, which is where he crossed paths with Ivano Savioni, who couldn’t keep his involvement in Maurizio’s murder to himself. He spilled everything to Gabriele, who went to the cops. At first, he demanded cash in exchange for information, but then the cops assured him that if his information was proven correct, he would get a house and a job. This was good enough for Gabriele, and he returned to the hotel and found Savioni again. This time, he wore a wire to record the conversation, and the man ended up naming Reggiani.
Reportedly, Savioni said that Pina Auriemma, Reggiani’s clairvoyant and friend at the time, told him that Reggiani “hated” her husband and “wanted him dead” for harassing her and taking the Gucci name away from her. Auriemma said that Reggiani had given her the responsibility to find someone who could do the job. In the trial, Reggiani admitted she had paid £200,000 to Auriemma, but claimed that it wasn’t for Maurizio’s murder. She also blamed Auriemma for hiring the hitmen herself and then threatening to falsely frame Reggiani if she didn’t give her the money. However, she contrasted her own claims when she said, “It was worth every lira.”
Read More: Sheree Loud: Where is Maurizio Gucci’s Ex-Girlfriend Now?
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