Crucifixion murder sparks serial-killer alarm

'6-7 previous cases' say police amid Florence Monster echoes

(ANSA) - Florence, May 6 - A crucifixion murder in Florence has sparked fears a serial killer may be stalking the Tuscan city 30 years after the last of the infamous Monster of Florence murders. Speaking after an attack on a woman strapped to a bar and tortured to death Monday, police said they thought the possible new maniac may have been active for as long as 10 years.

Officers said Tuesday there were "six or seven similar cases" to that of the 26-year-old Romanian prostitute, Andrea Cristina Zamfir, found dead on the outskirts of the Tuscan capital after being sexually tortured and left to die slowly, struggling to free herself from her bonds. One case involved a prostitute who was rescued by police before she died in a nearby spot in March 2013, while another took place outside the city, in a picnic spot where the still-mysterious Monster of Florence in 1981 attacked one of the eight young couples during a 1968-1985 spree.

Police said there was a "real possibility that a new serial killer is on the rampage". "There are some cases that present similarities with what happened yesterday," said Florence Flying Squad chief Lorenzo Bucossi. "We are reconstructing them, and in order to do so we are going to go back at least 10 years," he said, adding that the victims who survived would be questioned again. PROBE FOCUSES ON TAPE.

Police on Tuesday visited Florence's Careggi Hospital to examine tape used on the woman found Monday. Medical sources reported that the tape is identical to the kind used in Careggi's technical and health departments, which has used by the hospital from 2006 through March 2013, and is one of the first available pieces of evidence that the police are able to investigate. However, the tape is not considered of particular value as this kind of tape has been distributed widespread throughout the hospital - Italy's third largest with 6000 employees, more than 15,000 patients daily and additional visitors- and also used by external firms.