Monster of Florence Ending Explained: Inside Mario Spezi’s Arrest and the Exoneration That Changed Everything

Netflix's The Monster of Florence ends the way the real case does: with more questions than answers. The show takes you deep into a decades-long murder investigation, points at a handful of very plausible suspects, and then leaves you sitting in the dark with your own theories. Here is what the series actually says, what it strongly implies, and where history refuses to cooperate.

What the series covers (and what it won’t solve for you)

Based on true events, the Italian crime drama tracks a string of brutal double homicides around Florence from the 1960s through the 1980s. The killer, dubbed the Monster, stalked couples in secluded spots, shot them, and mutilated the women. The show walks through multiple suspects and competing narratives but never crowns a definitive culprit. That uncertainty is faithful to reality.

The 1968 murder that sets everything in motion

The series zeroes in on the 1968 killings of Barbara Locci and her lover, Antonio Lo Bianco, who were shot in their car while Barbara’s young son was there. This is treated as ground zero for the Monster’s series of murders, and it’s where the suspect web gets messy.

Who the show puts under the microscope

• Stefano Mele (Barbara’s husband): He initially confesses to killing Barbara and Antonio out of jealousy. Later, police treat that confession as coerced and suspect he was covering for someone else. The series often returns to the idea that Stefano’s silence — or pressure — kept the truth buried.
• Salvatore Vinci: Stefano and Barbara rented him a room. The show paints Salvatore as controlling, violent, and sexually obsessed with Barbara. It also implies he had a sexual relationship with Stefano and forced Barbara to keep quiet about it. When Barbara became pregnant, Salvatore left the house. Flashbacks depict him telling Barbara she belonged to him; when she pushed back, he allegedly convinced Stefano that she had to be killed. By 1974, he was with Rosina Massa, who says he forced her to have sex with a stranger so he could watch — another hint at voyeurism that aligns with the Monster’s profile.
• Francesco Vinci (Salvatore’s brother): He was Barbara’s lover before Antonio. Stefano knew and stayed quiet at the time, but later publicly accused Francesco of murdering Barbara. Francesco’s wife gives him an alibi for the night of the killing. He’s portrayed as angry and possessive, and the series suggests he may have shot the couple in revenge.
• Giovanni Mele (Barbara’s brother-in-law): Presented as someone who may have wanted Barbara dead to restore family honor. In the show’s version of events, Giovanni spots Barbara with her lover, tells Stefano she must be killed, and later follows the pair — with Stefano and a man named Piero — before Giovanni pulls the trigger.

Does the show pick a Monster?

In the final stretch, the series all but circles Salvatore Vinci in red. His violence, sexual fixations, and voyeurism track with the Monster’s patterns, and the show highlights a creepy rhythm: new couple murders line up with moments when Rosina leaves him. Police even find suggestive items — a flashlight like the Monster’s and traces of gunpowder. But there’s no smoking gun. With evidence too thin and Stefano’s earlier confession muddying the waters, Salvatore walks.

Still, the series keeps other doors cracked. It leaves room for Giovanni Mele or even someone beyond the Vinci family. One especially chilling beat: in 1984, Giovanni takes a woman named Iolanda on a date to the very spot where the 1968 couple was killed and reenacts the murder with a fake knife. She bolts, tells the police, and flags him as potentially dangerous. It’s the kind of detail obsessives trade notes on, and the show knows exactly what it’s doing by including it.

Real case check-in

The real investigation sprawled for decades. Pietro Pacciani, a farmer, was convicted of seven of the double homicides, then acquitted on appeal; he died before a retrial could settle anything. The true Monster has never been identified.

The journalist who named the Monster — and got dragged into the case

Mario Spezi, a longtime reporter for Italy’s La Nazione, coined the term 'The Monster of Florence' and chased the story for years. In 2006, prosecutor Giuliano Mignini had Spezi arrested on accusations he was obstructing the investigation. A higher court later ruled the arrest illegal and baseless, and Spezi was exonerated. It’s a reminder that this case didn’t just swallow suspects — it swallowed people trying to report on it.

Credits and where to watch

The Monster of Florence is a four-episode Italian series created by Stefano Sollima and Leonardo Fasoli, streaming now on Netflix in the US. The cast includes Marco Bullitta, Valentino Mannias, Francesca Olia, Liliana Bottone, Giacomo Fadda, Antonio Tintis, and Giordano Mannu.

So who did it?

The show stops where history does: staring at a wall of likely suspects and no confirmed killer. If you’ve got a pet theory after watching, I get it — this case practically dares you to pick a side.