An Italian interpreter who reportedly worked for King Charles has been found dead in his Milan flat with serious head injuries, with police investigating a suspected robbery that may have followed a meeting arranged through a dating app.
Roberto Guerrino, 60, was discovered on the floor of his apartment on Saturday after the alarm was raised by his ex-partner, who lived in Genoa. Unable to contact Roberto for several hours, his ex-partner sent his niece to the flat, where she found the body. Neighbours said they had last seen Roberto alive at around 10.30pm on Friday.
Police found a blood-covered Buddha statue at the scene, which they believe may have been used as the murder weapon. There were no signs of forced entry to the apartment, which was secured with several locks, suggesting Roberto knew his attacker, and no evidence of a struggle inside the flat. Investigators believe he was killed without warning, struck on the head before he had any chance to defend himself.
Detectives are now examining messages on Roberto’s mobile phone and are focusing on the theory that a dating app encounter may have led to his death. The investigation has an unsettling precedent. Three years ago, Roberto formally reported to police that a man he had met on a dating app had beaten him up and stolen €250 from him. Officers now believe a similar encounter may have ended fatally.
A well-known linguist and a member of the International Association of Conference Interpreters, Roberto had an impressive professional record. According to his CV, he had worked as an interpreter for King Charles, former US President Bill Clinton and former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, as well as former Italian presidents Giorgio Napolitano and Sergio Mattarella. He had studied in Rome and New York and taught interpreting at prestigious institutions in Milan, Forlì and Genoa. The Sun has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.
Neighbours described Roberto as a quiet, solitary presence in the building. “I saw him riding a bicycle a lot,” one told Italian television. “He was always alone. He seemed to live a normal life.” He was said to have converted to Buddhism, and the blood-covered statue found at the scene was believed to belong to him.
