"Killed for 300 euros." Found dead in a well, a 33-year-old confesses to the murder.

An argument over €300 apparently escalated into murder in the Lecce countryside. An acquaintance of the victim was arrested for the death of Antimo Mazzotta, the 78-year-old pensioner found in the artesian well on his property in Torre Rinalda. He reportedly confessed to the crime before the Carabinieri.

"Killed for 300 euros." Found dead in a well, a 33-year-old confesses to the murder.

An argument over a sum of just 300 euros appears to have led to the murder of Antimo Mazzotta , the 78-year-old pensioner from Squinzano, found dead in the artesian well on his property in Torre Rinalda, in the Lecce countryside. As reported by Lecce Prima , the investigation's breakthrough came with the arrest of Emmanuel Greco, a 33-year-old plumber from Surbo, unemployed and working odd jobs, charged with murder and concealment of a corpse, as well as carrying and possessing a clandestine weapon.

According to investigators' reconstruction, the arrested man and the victim had a previous relationship: Greco had allegedly performed some plumbing work on the house on Via Torre San Giovanni, where the 78-year-old lived with his dogs and cats. The work , which was regularly paid for at around €300, was however contested by the pensioner , who believed it had not been done properly and was forced to hire another technician to fix the problems.

This is where the request for the return of the money arose , which resulted in a confrontation with fatal consequences.

A local resident also confirmed the existence of an argument in the hours preceding the crime, reporting hearing Mazzotta arguing heatedly with another man around lunchtime on Sunday.

The murder of a 78-year-old in Lecce: the gun was modified, the body was hidden in the well, and the traces were erased.

According to evidence gathered during the investigation , as reported by Lecce Prima , Greco allegedly showed up armed with a modified .9mm short blank pistol, which he fired once at the pensioner's face. After killing him, he allegedly dragged the body across the ground, presumably using a cart, before throwing it into the well , approximately four meters deep, and closing the trap door. Investigators also believe that the alleged perpetrator attempted to remove traces of the attack by washing the blood-stained surfaces with water, but was unable to remove the bloody trail left on the ground. The DVR device from the video surveillance system was also reportedly taken.

During the initial stages of the investigation, the man admitted his guilt to the police, providing useful information in recovering the gun. Subsequently, during questioning in the presence of the public prosecutor and his lawyers, Federico Martella and Francesco Martinese, he exercised his right to remain silent.

Greco is now awaiting the hearing to validate his arrest , a crucial step in evaluating the evidence gathered by the Prosecutor's Office and definitively clarifying the dynamics of Antimo Mazzotta's death.