Murder Suspect Dies On Stand In Italy

The family of an American woman who was found dead in Rome during a custody battle with her Italian boyfriend said they are frustrated and relieved the man accused of killing her died on the witness stand.

Carlo Ventre, 59, was testifying for the first time in Rome about his relationship with girlfriend Toni Dykstra when he suffered a heart attack and died Wednesday, his attorney Roberto Leonardo said.

His sudden death was the latest chapter in a nearly decade-old murder and kidnapping case.

"I really wish that we had gotten to a conviction because it would have made me feel better, but that didn't happen," said Toni Dykstra's father, Milt.

Ventre, who had suffered a heart attack in 2002, was charged with killing Dykstra in his Rome apartment in 1998.

Dykstra, who lived south of Los Angeles, had traveled to Italy to retrieve the couple's 11-year-old daughter Santina. When she found the girl and Ventre, she obtained an Italian court order requiring Ventre to hand over the girl so she could return to the United States with her.

The day before they were to leave, Dykstra, 29, was found dead on the floor of Ventre's apartment. Ventre told Italian authorities Dykstra struck her head on a fireplace when he shoved her in self-defense after she attacked him with an ax.

Leonardo said the judge had allowed Ventre to go free pending trial because the autopsy showed that Dykstra died of a single blunt trauma to the head — consistent with a hard fall — and that Ventre had cuts on him that were consistent with injuries from an ax.
A day before his court date in Rome, Ventre had told Leonardo he feared he would not feel well when he testified, the lawyer said. Ventre arrived tired and sweating, Leonardo said.

Ventre appeared to be doing well while testifying, Leonardo said. Suddenly he stopped and said he did not feel well and leaned back in his chair, the lawyer said.

Ventre had been facing murder charges. He had pleaded innocent, saying he acted in self-defense.

Ventre was arrested when he returned to the United States in 1999 and Dykstra's father was awarded custody of Santina. Ventre was convicted of international parental kidnapping charges and sentenced to nearly a year in prison.

After completing his sentence, Ventre was eventually extradited to Italy. Shortly after that he was also charged in the United States for allegedly soliciting the murders of Dykstra's parents and the kidnapping of Santina.

Dykstra's sister, Teri Martinez, said Ventre's death takes a burden off the family.

"I always carried with me the fear he would kill or hurt someone else in my family," she said. "For the first time in years, I can sleep without fear."