'Honor' murder in Partinico: he kills his friend who used to hang out with his girlfriend

It was a crime of passion committed by a barber from Partinico who allegedly killed a carpenter. According to investigators, Leonardo Celestre, 51, shot Nicola Bifara, a 46-year-old craftsman, out of jealousy, on a narrow street off Provincial Road 2, the road connecting Partinico to San Giuseppe Jato. The two, the victim and the murderer, were friends and hung out together. During this encounter, sparks apparently ignited between the carpenter and the alleged murderer's partner. Celestre noticed this and decided to kill his rival. Knowing the carpenter's habits, he followed him, according to the prosecution, in his car near a country house where Bifara keeps his dogs and, more importantly, a horse, his great passion. There, Celestre waited for him. The victim had time to park the car when he was hit by several gunshots. At least five were fired from the passenger side. Bifara then attempted to flee and got out of the car. The alleged murderer continued to fire a full magazine of a semi-automatic pistol. Several shots to the chest gave Bifara no chance, and he collapsed to the ground. Another person was standing next to him, unharmed. At this point, Celestre reportedly fled in his Fiat 500. The victim's friend ran to the police station, where he arrived still shaking and terrified. He described, gripped by fear, having witnessed a murder, indicating the location of the attack and even the name of the killer. Meanwhile, 118 paramedics rescued Bifara and took him to the emergency room of the Civico Hospital in Partinico, where he died a couple of hours later from serious injuries, especially to the chest. Officers led by Commissioner Carlo Nicotri began hunting for the barber and managed to track him down shortly after the shooting, taking him to the police station on Corso dei Mille. Both the victim and the alleged killer have no criminal record. The barber was grilled by officers, but has yet to confess. A gun was found in Celestre's home. It remains to be determined whether it is the murder weapon. The prosecutor on duty is evaluating whether to sign the arrest warrant, which will need to be validated by a judge.