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

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oasis72 said:
http://www.stripes.com/news/missing-aviano-airman-may-have-drowned-police-say-1.418506


It's a stretch, but this guy went missing about 2 hours NE of Milan the night after Beau was killed. Likely found today.....

"Hale’s father said that he’d been told his son planned a 15-minute walk to another friend’s house, but did not take his cellphone, wallet or keys."

Another young American who just leaves his phone, wallet, and keys laying around while he walks off on his own into the night....
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Not again!!!
 
Dockins said:
I never said we didn't yell. But, we weren't running down to fight he attackers ourselves. It was our first night there and we hadn't thought about emergency numbers. But to say I should have intervened because it is my responsibility as a citizen of the world is unfair. I am a nurse, and have given aid many times outside of work. In any part of the world, or at home, I cannot and will not try to break up a fight of multiple attackers who may or may not be armed. You mention knocking on doors, but there were no doors to knock on without codes to the private courtyards for each entrance. we would have had to go it into the street to get to another building. It's funny how everyone knows exactly what they would do, or what others should do when in a situation.
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I am sorry that you took so personally what I posted and that it upset or triggered you. I was stating my own feeling of responsibility and steps that can be taken by others who might find themselves in a similar situation. Each situation is unique and you've provided more information to show that you felt that you had limited options. I don't believe that my post said what you should have done and it was therefore not unfair. If others on here read these posts and make informed choices like insuring emergency numbers are readily available then I am very happy about that. Did you yell? Good for you if you did. Often yelling can deter people when they know others are now witness. We do what we can, of course.
 
Ray_of_hope said:
So John Durkin was drugged. LE in Italy needs to investigate and bring the perps to justice. I hope Hatfield sees this article.
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Yes. Thanks for the updates Rayofhope. IMO John Durkins case is practically the same targeted drugging mugging and killing as in this Beau person case. There is no doubt in my mind they both were targeted. That GHB drug is a nasty drug that makes you totally out of it and the criminals have realized it makes people look totally drunk so the public just thinks the person is stumbling around drunk and they dont realize the person has been drugged and really needs help.

All the criminals have to do is have someone follow the person until they get to an isolated area and then they attack them. The public probably shuns the drugged person because they think he just drank too much and is a stumbling drunkard.

I can guarantee that someone was following them at a distance as they left the bar and waited for the right moment to attack them.
In Beaus case I think the African people actually escorted Beau down the stairs towards the river area and towards the tent before they attacked him. According to the female friend of the tent person she worded it that he was being escorted down the stairs and it sounded like it was before he was robbed by them. I bet the African people had given him a lie and he probably thought they were helping him. Or he was just so out of it he couldnt stop them from escorting him to the tent area.

Its so sad for these victims. Hope publicicty about the cases forces LE to crack down more on this type of crime.

http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/...ses-questions-about-safety-of-studying-abroad
 
Speaking of trying to help others in a fight.
I have to share a story about a fight at a bar one time that scared me. We were going to a bar one night and we happened to notice a male and his female friend in a wicked knock down drag out fight in the parking lot. Punches and rolling on the ground and everything.
We think they were biker type people because there were lots of motorcycles in the area.

There were people standing around watching it and as we noticed what was going on we walked over and couldn't believe the wicked fight we were seeing between a male and a female. The girl was holding her own and doing as much punching as the guy but it was getting way out of hand and they were both bleeding and just as we were about to try and save this girl and try to break it up a guy from the crowd jumped in and tried to separate them.

Well what happened next I never would have guessed in a million years. The girl turns around and punches the guy that was trying to help right in the face and decked him and yelled to everyone to stay the F... out of it. Then she proceeds to start wailing on her guy partner again. It was unbelievable. The fight lasted a few more minutes and then the male and female got up dusted themselves off and went in together to the bar to have a drink together.

I am not making this up. It was the craziest thing I have ever seen.
 
http://roma.corriere.it/notizie/cro...so-e6f57882-4799-11e6-af4e-15bff4e09cf7.shtml


New article today with new details on what happened. It appears more and more likely that Beau was drugged (although the Italian press can't resist reporting that he was "drunk"). The new details state that someone under the bridge hit him in the head with a large rock before he fell into the river (which would explain why his clothing was bloodstained when they found him). The article also mentions that a fight started after Beau had broken some "boxes" near the homeless tents and that Galioto let his dog attack Beau while yelling "I'll kill you!" Galioto's lawyer has claimed that his client did not push Beau into the river...... which may very well turn out to be true, however, it appears that throwing a rock at his head from close range did far more damage than just a push into the river.

In an Italian news article from July 11th, it was also stated that the North African men/boys who led/followed Beau to the bridge have been identified, but it did not make a mention of whether they have been arrested or are even being pursued.
 
oasis72 said:
http://roma.corriere.it/notizie/cro...so-e6f57882-4799-11e6-af4e-15bff4e09cf7.shtml


New article today with new details on what happened. It appears more and more likely that Beau was drugged (although the Italian press can't resist reporting that he was "drunk"). The new details state that someone under the bridge hit him in the head with a large rock before he fell into the river (which would explain why his clothing was bloodstained when they found him). The article also mentions that a fight started after Beau had broken some "boxes" near the homeless tents and that Galioto let his dog attack Beau while yelling "I'll kill you!" Galioto's lawyer has claimed that his client did not push Beau into the river...... which may very well turn out to be true, however, it appears that throwing a rock at his head from close range did far more damage than just a push into the river.

In an Italian news article from July 11th, it was also stated that the North African men/boys who led/followed Beau to the bridge have been identified, but it did not make a mention of whether they have been arrested or are even being pursued.
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So, they really are trying to sell the story that a college kid from America, on his first night in Rome, decided to head to a risky part of town and break boxes of the homeless?!
 
This case is very sad, poor guy, poor family.

I just wanted to add that, to me, it makes sense a gang might adopt a strategy of drugging and robbing young American men visiting Italy. Young women are more vigilant and stick together, and outsiders might intervene if they saw one with a group of men, whereas if the young man looks strongly built, they won't interfere. And there are enough young Americans who do get rowdy, that people just avoid them.

My suspicion is they wouldn't intend to kill their victims, and the young men don't report the robbery to police, or police don't belive them, so this could be a fairly regular scheme that in this case went disasterously because the homeless man reacted violently to the young man being there (instead of helping him).

I found urban Italy to be quite stressed by the invasion of tourists and migrants, local people seem to hunker down into their own little world and avoid getting involved with outsiders.
 
AliceInPain said:
I am scared to death any of this will happen to any of my kids
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Actually, Italy has a relatively low crime rate, compared with the rest of Europe. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Italy. I think it's safe if the kids just know about the risks and protect themselves. The stereotype of Americans is that they're naive and trusting, and therefore easily tricked. For example, Rome has long been notorious for pickpockets, but you just have to be aware of that and you can protect yourself ie not keep your wallet in your back pocket, or wear your backpack in busy places, etc, there's lots of advice on the web.

I think knowledge is power and it's important for kids to be street smart about visiting Europe, that in some places, especially Rome, they are definitely going to be seen by some people as a target. I don't think you need to become paranoid or racist, but to realize that there are more people there who are predatory and dangerous than we are used to in North America. And it does seem that thousands of kids spend time there without coming to harm.
 
Satchie said:
Actually, Italy has a relatively low crime rate, compared with the rest of Europe. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Italy. I think it's safe if the kids just know about the risks and protect themselves. The stereotype of Americans is that they're naive and trusting, and therefore easily tricked. For example, Rome has long been notorious for pickpockets, but you just have to be aware of that and you can protect yourself ie not keep your wallet in your back pocket, or wear your backpack in busy places, etc, there's lots of advice on the web.

I think knowledge is power and it's important for kids to be street smart about visiting Europe, that in some places, especially Rome, they are definitely going to be seen by some people as a target. I don't think you need to become paranoid or racist, but to realize that there are more people there who are predatory and dangerous than we are used to in North America. And it does seem that thousands of kids spend time there without coming to harm.
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In most of the comments sections of any article about Beau (or any of the students/tourists who have died in Italy in the past couple years), you'll find a back-and-forth about the crime rate in the United States vs Italy, Spain, France, etc. While the general statistics may prove this point, they do nothing to indicate the danger to a specific group of people who may or may not be targeted (i.e. American Students studying abroad). Drug and gang related violence dominates our crime statistics in the US.......... not random street crimes where the victim doesn't know the criminal(s). But how can you possibly compare crime rates in the US to a country like Italy who clearly doesn't report most street crime against tourists.... and has a recent history of classifying all dead Americans under the "drunken accidents" category without investigating. Their crime statistics are strictly managed IMO.......
 
oasis72 said:
In most of the comments sections of any article about Beau (or any of the students/tourists who have died in Italy in the past couple years), you'll find a back-and-forth about the crime rate in the United States vs Italy, Spain, France, etc. While the general statistics may prove this point, they do nothing to indicate the danger to a specific group of people who may or may not be targeted (i.e. American Students studying abroad). Drug and gang related violence dominates our crime statistics in the US.......... not random street crimes where the victim doesn't know the criminal(s). But how can you possibly compare crime rates in the US to a country like Italy who clearly doesn't report most street crime against tourists.... and has a recent history of classifying all dead Americans under the "drunken accidents" category without investigating. Their crime statistics are strictly managed IMO.......
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Yes, very likely. I guess my point was more along the lines of: if you read about a couple of cases of teenagers drowning in the popular lake in your area, rather than forbid your child from going and swimming there, it's better to enroll them in swimming and lifesaving lessons.
 
Satchie said:
Yes, very likely. I guess my point was more along the lines of: if you read about a couple of cases of teenagers drowning in the popular lake in your area, rather than forbid your child from going and swimming there, it's better to enroll them in swimming and lifesaving lessons.
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I completely agree with that. I didn't mean to imply that you were wrong at all. I have just been irritated with comments in some of the articles I have read like "Statistically, Italy has a very low crime rate compared to the US.........etc". There's no way to know for sure what the actual statistics are, but I would venture a guess that if you fall into the category of "Young Americans in Study Abroad programs in Rome"..... you are at a MUCH greater risk of muggings/theft/drugging/etc. than the "average" US citizen in the States on a Thursday night....
 
This has probably been mentioned, but in case anyone missed it,

Body of Indiana airman missing for 10 days found in Italy river
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...g-10-days-found-italy-river-article-1.2708875

"Hale had just left an off-base cookout to walk to another friend's house and meet up with his girlfriend when he disappeared — leaving his cell phone, wallet and car at the cookout, Lance Hale told the Daily News earlier Tuesday.

It is possible Hale went swimming in a canal swollen with rainwater near his friend's house, or that he was drunk and fell in, officials said. "

There is a Websleuth thread on Staff Sgt. Hale.
 
Inthedetails said:
He said what motivated him was that he had a gut instinct about protecting his passport. He was driven to keep his ID more than his money, though he also says he was drugged and not himself.

Don't drink anything except in a bottle that you see being opened and that HOLD YOURSELF AT ALL TIMES.
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Very interesting you mention the passport thing. I was drugged at a bar in Prague and an instinct about my passport was what throttled my alertness enough to get out. I always thought it was odd that cardboard and paper caused that reaction in me. Apparently I'm not alone. Looking back, there were clear warning signs. They had been ordering rounds of drinks. When I finally decided to have a drink, I went to grab one and they stopped me and gave me the drink on the table with a different-colored at the straw. I was hanging out with a group of English-speaking guys I had met at a prior bar, and my guard was down because I was so happy to meet native English speakers. It seems so obvious now, but at that time, when you've arrived to a brand-new city for the first time, you've met interesting people, and you're in a good mood with your guard down, stuff happens. I'm lucky. Nothing had happened to me. Maybe it's safer to be a female than male now traveling. The muggers seem to save their violence for young men.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...sed-of-killing-american-student-may-have-mur/

An Italian man who allegedly murdered an American student in Rome may have killed before in similar circumstances, Italian authorities believe...

Evidence has now emerged to suggest that Galioto, who is in custody, was responsible for the death of another man who drowned in the Tiber - Federico Carnicci, 27, a street performer from Tuscany...

The lawyers believe Galioto also referred to the death of a third, unidentified man, also allegedly from Tuscany.
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Thinking of Beau's family as they face their first Christmas without him.
 
Massimo Galioto, 41, has been indicted on a charge of manslaughter for causing the death of Beau Solomon and is scheduled to go to trial May 8.

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/lo...cle_7cc17ef6-ff16-532d-91ef-502c7109748c.html

Solomon’s parents filed a federal civil lawsuit last August against John Cabot University, which is a limited liability company incorporated in Delaware.

The lawsuit claims that the school — a liberal arts university with campuses in Rome that offers study-abroad programs to English-speaking students from around the world — was negligent and acted with reckless indifference when it failed to warn their son, or anyone from UW-Madison, that four young adults had died from suspicious circumstances within 350 yards of the Rome campus between 2014-15.

According to the lawsuit, Solomon died hours after attending a welcome reception at the Rome campus. Solomon was walking along the Tiber River when he was attacked. He suffered two head wounds but was conscious before he was forcefully shoved into the river.
 
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