Cops: Man Who Killed Gucci Shot Son, Then Himself

The man who was hired to assassinate Maurizio Gucci in 1995 completed his prison sentence two years ago, but Benedetto Ceraulo is likely to find himself back behind bars when he is out of the hospital. Police say the 63-year-old shot his son in the face during an argument at his home in Italy on Tuesday and then turned the gun on himself, the Times of London reports. The injured son, 37-year-old Gaetano Ceraulo, managed to get in his car and drive to a nearby bar to seek assistance, reports Corriere Fiorentino. His father shot himself after his son left and was hospitalized in serious condition, authorities say.

It's not clear what triggered the argument. La Stampa reports that Ceraulo was living alone in a rented country house in Pisa province, and his son was visiting for Easter. Ceraulo was a restaurant owner in financial trouble when he was hired to kill the fashion icon in 1995 on behalf of his former wife, socialite Patrizia Reggiani. Ceraulo shot Gucci outside his office in Milan. He was sentenced to 28 years in prison but was allowed partial freedom in a wine-making work-release program in 2017. The Times reports that Reggiano, who was played by Lady Gaga in 2021's House of Gucci, served 17 years in prison but rejected work-release in 2011, saying, "I've never worked in my life and I don't intend to start now." (More Italy stories.)