A self-proclaimed Italian expert in holistic health allegedly attacked his two children while they were visiting him for Christmas — slashing their throats as they tried to flee before taking his own life.
The shocking murders took place at the home of Alessandro Pontin, 49, in the town of Trebaseleghe in the Italian region of Veneto, where his children Francesca, 15, and Pietro, 13, were staying for the holiday.
The former carpenter was separated from the kids’ mother, and it was his turn to care for them. The couple was allegedly arguing about child support payments.
The home was full of trails of blood trampled on several times by Pontin and his kids, offering clues that they may have realized what was happening before they were killed. Francesca and Pietro were apparently asleep when they were attacked but tried to escape.
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According to reports, Pontin allegedly killed himself after killing his children, leaving behind a suicide note that did not mention them. Their uncle, Claudio Calzarotto, said the parents had been “constantly arguing” about the child support payments. He added:
“My sister received 100 euros a month for the two children … She had asked for something more, but just this week everything was archived and she was very angry.”
The mother, Roberta Calzarotto, 47, collapsed and was hospitalized after being informed of their deaths. She had found it difficult to raise the children on a single salary as a hospital nurse and asked their father to increase payments.
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The bodies were discovered by Pontin’s brother, who revealed that his sibling had found it challenging to find work as a carpenter, so he tried to reinvent himself as a foot masseuse and then a holistic and Zen motivational expert.
He created a site called “The reflected world of Alessandro Pontin.” He wrote in one post on his Facebook profile:
“Through a conscious touch, you will release the discomfort, you will understand the cause and you will find harmony. Life is yourself, if life is difficult to bear it is because it is very difficult to bear yourself.”
Aldo Cazzarotto, the children’s devastated grandfather said:
“Not even a beast kills its own children like that. But what man was this? I used to pick them up from school every day because my daughter works. They used to eat with me and my wife. How can we live without them?”
