The Milan Murder: A Web of Unanswered Questions Surrounding Aurora Livoli’s Death
Milan, Italy – The tragic death of 19-year-old Aurora Livoli, whose body was discovered on December 29th in a courtyard in Milan’s northeast, has led to the arrest and voluntary homicide charge against 57-year-old Peruvian national, Emilio Gabriel Valdez Velazco. While preliminary autopsy results point to strangulation, the investigation is far from over, with numerous perplexing details and a disturbing pattern of behavior by the suspect coming to light.
The Victim’s Disappearance and the Gruesome Discovery
Aurora Livoli, originally from Fondi in the province of Latina, had been estranged from her adoptive family since November 4th and had not been in contact since November 26th. Her body was found partially clothed in a courtyard on Via Paruta, near Via Padova. She was wearing trousers, but her torso was covered only by a jacket, with her underwear, socks, and a sweatshirt found nearby. The question of sexual assault remains open, pending further forensic examination. Livoli had no phone or documents on her, but bore marks on her neck and around one eye. The building’s caretaker, who initially mistook her for someone sleeping, alerted the Carabinieri.
Her identity was confirmed on the evening of December 29th after her adoptive parents recognized her from a police mugshot, derived from surveillance footage. This same footage captured a man walking behind her – later identified as Velazco – who was seen entering and exiting the courtyard twice between 11 PM and 3:30 AM, alone.
The Suspect: A History of Violence and Unheeded Warnings
Emilio Gabriel Valdez Velazco was already in custody when he was implicated in Livoli’s murder on January 2nd. He had been arrested on December 30th for an attempted robbery against another 19-year-old Peruvian woman at the Cimiano subway station, approximately one kilometer from the crime scene on Via Paruta. This assault, according to the victim’s testimony to La Repubblica, occurred around 10 PM, roughly an hour before Livoli and Velazco were captured on surveillance footage together.
The second victim recounted being grabbed from behind, her neck squeezed, and being demanded for money and her phone. The assailant then allegedly attempted to drag her onto the tracks before changing his mind and trying to force her upstairs, threatening to kill her. She managed to escape when a subway train arrived and passersby intervened, allowing the attacker to flee. She later identified Velazco from photographs shown by the Carabinieri.
Velazco’s criminal record is extensive and alarming. In 2019, he was arrested in Milan for the rape and assault of a fellow countrywoman, for which he was convicted and imprisoned. He faces further accusations of violence in Cologno Monzese in 2024 and 2025, as well as charges of robbery and illegal immigration.
According to the prosecution, Velazco arrived in Italy in 2017 and became an undocumented immigrant in 2019. He was expelled in August of that year but somehow re-entered the country shortly after. Both Il Corriere della Sera and Il Fatto Quotidiano report that Velazco applied for a residency permit in 2023, which was denied by the Milan police chief in 2024 due to his perceived social dangerousness (he was in prison at the time). In March 2024, he was again expelled but not repatriated because his passport had expired two years prior. He was then assigned to a CPR (center for permanence for repatriation) but was deemed unfit due to a medical condition, allowing him to remain in Italy. During these years, he reportedly remained unemployed and lived with his partner in Cologno Monzese.
Aurora Livoli: A Life Cut Short and Lingering Mysteries
Aurora Livoli, born in Rome, was adopted at the age of six by a couple from Fondi. Her parents stated that she had left home on previous occasions without warning or luggage, but these were never due to family disputes. Her uncle and family lawyer, Massimo Basile, told Il Corriere that Aurora was seeing a psychologist and had never explained her previous departures. Basile also noted that she usually stayed with friends in Fondi and that neither he nor her parents know why she traveled to Milan.
Little is known about how Livoli spent those weeks, or whether she and Velazco knew each other prior to the incident. On the afternoon of December 28th, she was stopped by railway police in Piazza Duca d’Aosta, outside Milan’s central station. She was alone and assured officers that she was fine. Just hours later, she was captured on surveillance cameras on Via Paruta with Velazco.
Unanswered Questions and the Path Forward
The case continues to raise critical questions:
- How did Emilio Gabriel Valdez Velazco manage to remain in Italy despite multiple expulsion orders and a history of violent crime?
- What were Aurora Livoli’s movements and contacts in the weeks leading up to her death?
- Did Livoli and Velazco know each other, and what was the nature of their encounter?
- Will further examinations confirm sexual assault, and what additional details will the full autopsy report reveal?
Velazco is currently held at San Vittore prison in Milan and is scheduled to be interrogated by the public prosecutor on January 8th, at his own request. The investigation is ongoing, with authorities striving to piece together the full narrative of this tragic event and ensure justice for Aurora Livoli.
