"Leonarda Cianciulli: The Soap-Maker of Correggio - A Tale of Murder and Superstition"

Leonarda Cianciulli, also known as the "Soap-Maker of Correggio," was an Italian serial killer who operated in the early 20th century. Her story is a disturbing tale of murder and gruesome rituals. Here is the full story of Leonarda Cianciulli:

Leonarda Cianciulli was born on April 14, 1894, in Montella, Italy. She had a troubled childhood and later claimed to have had visions and premonitions since her early years. At the age of 23, she married a registry office clerk named Raffaele Pansardi and moved to Correggio, a town in northern Italy.

Leonarda was a superstitious woman who believed strongly in fortune-telling and mystical practices. She consulted with various fortune-tellers and mediums who had a significant influence on her actions later in life. According to Leonarda, one of the fortune-tellers predicted that she would have three children, but all of them would die.

Tragically, Leonarda did give birth to 17 children, but only four of them survived into adulthood. The deaths of her children deeply affected her, and she became increasingly obsessed with finding a way to protect her surviving children from harm.

In 1939, Leonarda met another fortune-teller who told her that she must perform a ritual to protect her children. The fortune-teller instructed her to sacrifice three human lives and create soap from their remains. Believing that this would provide protection for her children, Leonarda started planning her horrific crimes.

Her first victim was a middle-aged woman named Faustina Setti. Leonarda lured Faustina to her house under the pretense of finding her a suitable husband. Once inside, Leonarda drugged Faustina with a glass of drugged wine and killed her with an axe. She then dragged Faustina's body into a closet, where she dismembered it with an ax, collecting the blood in a basin.

Leonarda carefully separated the fat from the rest of the body and boiled it down to make soap. She mixed the soap with her own urine and added a few drops of her victim's blood for good measure. Leonarda claimed that this soap had magical properties and would protect her children from harm.

Her second victim was a former opera singer named Francesca Soavi. She was also lured to Leonarda's house under the promise of a job opportunity. Once again, Leonarda drugged her victim with drugged wine and killed her with an ax. She followed the same ritual of dismemberment and soap-making as she did with Faustina Setti.

Leonarda's final victim was a woman named Virginia Cacioppo. Like the others, Virginia was lured to Leonarda's house with the promise of a potential job. This time, Leonarda used a lethal dose of her homemade poison to kill Virginia. She then proceeded with the familiar process of dismembering the body and creating soap.

However, Leonarda's crimes did not go unnoticed. Virginia's sister became suspicious when she didn't hear from her and reported her disappearance to the police. The authorities began an investigation, and Leonarda quickly became a prime suspect.

During the investigation, the police discovered the remains of Leonarda's victims hidden within her home. Leonarda confessed to the murders and provided a detailed account of her gruesome acts. She was arrested in 1940 and stood trial the same year.

At her trial, Leonarda was found guilty and sentenced to 30 years in prison and three years in a criminal asylum. She spent the remainder of her life in various prisons and psychiatric institutions.

Leonarda Cianciulli's case gained significant media attention and fascinated the public with its macabre

and horrifying details. People were both fascinated and repulsed by Leonarda's ritualistic killings and the bizarre belief that making soap from human remains would provide protection for her children.

While in prison, Leonarda's mental state deteriorated further. She exhibited signs of delusions and claimed that she could communicate with her deceased victims. Despite her apparent mental instability, she remained behind bars and was closely monitored by the prison authorities.

In 1970, after spending 30 years in prison, Leonarda Cianciulli died of a cerebral apoplexy at the age of 79. Her story continues to be a chilling reminder of the dark depths to which human beings can descend.

The case of Leonarda Cianciulli left a lasting impact on the public psyche and has been the subject of numerous books, documentaries, and works of fiction. It serves as a grim reminder of the dangers of superstition, obsession, and the potential for evil that exists within some individuals.

Today, Leonarda Cianciulli's name lives on as one of history's most notorious female serial killers. Her story serves as a cautionary tale and a reminder that even the most unexpected individuals can be capable of committing heinous acts.