Against Satanic Panics > Recent cases > "Beasts of Satan"
The "Beasts of Satan" murders in Italy:
The case which sparked Italy's recent Satanic Panic
by Diane Vera
Copyright © 2006 by Diane Vera. All rights reserved.
Below is a sampling of media coverage of an infamous murder case involving members of the "Beasts of Satan" metal band in Italy:
- Satanic Ritual Blamed for Death of Italian Teens by Rachel Sanderson (Reuters, June 7, 2004)
- Italians Investigate Occult Killings by Aidan Lewis (AP, June 9, 2004)
- Italian Police Look to a Cult in '98 Killings of Teenagers by Al Baker (New York Times, June 20, 2004) - says that the bodies were found on May 28, 2004
- Satanic cult link to cemetery staff 'suicides' by Peter Popham (Independent, June 23, 2004)
- Satanists accused of ordering serial killings by John Phillips (The Belfast Telegraph, July 30, 2004)
- Satanic gang leader's diary sheds light on murder case by Peter Popham (Independent, October 13, 2004)
- Beasts of Satan's killing spree has Italy transfixed by Danielle Demetriou (Independent, January 14, 2005)
- Italy's 'Beasts of Satan' Face Murder Trial by Tracy Wilkinson (Los Angeles Times, January 30, 2005)
- Teenage Satanic band starts murder trial in Italy by Phil Stewart (Reuters, February 21, 2005)
- Satanist band members jailed for ritual killings Associated Press, Tuesday February 22, 2005 (another copy here)
- Rocker gets 30 years for satanic killings, Reuters, Feb. 22, 2005, Feb. 22, 2005, MSNBC
- Beasts of Satan band members jailed for killings by John Hooper The Guardian, Wednesday, February 23, 2005
- Satanist sent to prison over murders - AFP, Rome, Taipei Times, Thursday, Feb 24, 2005 - includes some info about the current Satanic panic ("According to a parliamentary group studying the problem, hundreds of satanic cult groups pullulate in Italy, with more and more young people involved. A Roman Catholic college in Rome recently began offering a specialized course in Satanism and exorcism for priests and seminarians." Also, "Marco Strano, an Italian police official who specializes in diabolic sects, said Satanism was sharply on the rise in Italy, but that it was difficult to quantify the problem. 'The Satanists increasingly carry out their rites in private houses,' he said.")
- Band member jailed for part in satanic murders by Barbara McMahon, The Guardian, Tuesday April 12, 2005 (another copy here)
- Investigating the 'death metal' murders by Sam Bagnall, BBC News, November 23, 2005 (another copy here)
The only skeptical commentary I've found about the Beasts of Satan murders is in the web article The Devil's Workshop? Vatican Cranks Exorcism Mill Amidst Sensationalist Headlines, Religious Rivalry, on the American Atheists site, February 21, 2005. This article doesn't question the murders themselves, or the guilt of the alleged perpetrators, but does question the alleged Satanic ritual aspects.
The Beasts of Satan murders have triggered a general panic about Satanism in Italy. Said panic has, in turn, spurred the Vatican to begin offering a course on exorcism. See my collection of links to articles about Exorcism, the Vatican, and the recent Italian Satanic Panic on my page about Exorcism, "spiritual warfare," and anti-occultism. For my own comments about the scare, see my page on Italy's recent Satanic Panic.
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