Jury Seeks Death for Slasher
The American Student in Italy, Again: Johnathan Hindenach Accused of Murder
Friday, May 8, 2009 at 7:27 am
A twenty-something American college student has been accused of a bizarre and brutal murder while on an Italian excursion.
This is not a repeat.
Earlier this week, Michigan student Johnathan Robert Hindenach (some sources spell his first name Jonathan), age 24, allegedly murdered Florentine pensioner Riccardo Nistri, 62. Hindenach may have killed Nistri with a shard of glass from a broken mirror or a shattered bottle.
According to Italian press reports, Hindenach quarrelled with some fellow Americans with whom he was visiting Florence. Then, high on alcohol and hashish, he encountered Nistri in a warehouse (or possibly a store) on the Viale Michelangelo near Florence's Piazza Francesco Ferrucci. Police believe Hindenach stabbed Nistri twice in the throat.
A blood-soaked Hindenach was later found near the retired banker's body and may have tried to take his own life. The carabinieri (Italian police) were called to the scene after Nistri's son called his father's cell phone the morning after the murder and Hindenach answered it, saying, "I killed him."
Hindenach apparently confessed to the authorities after he was taken into custody, giving a disjointed narrative of the events leading up to the murder. Italian news agencies state that in addition to possibly being on drugs when Nistri was killed, Hindenach may suffer from depression and paranoid delusions.
Hindenach's American neighbors and acquaintances in Charlotte, MI are said to be "stunned" by the young man's arrest. They describe Hindenach as "a very good guy" and a "nice ... polite kid."
When contacted by a local TV station, Hindenach's family had no comment on the matter.
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