HUSBAND HIT: Wife ‘Ordered Slaying’ Of Wealthy Husband On School Run
The wife of an Italian hotelier who was gunned down outside his daughters’ school in Mexico has been arrested for masterminding his murder.
Wealthy businessman Raphael Alessandro Tunesi died in a hail of bullets on the school run in Palenque, Chiapas state, southern Mexico on 1st July.
His wife – named as Elisabeth – is said to have hired hitmen to assassinate her husband as he drove towards the school in his BMW.
The Chiapas State Attorney General’s Office said three people have been arrested for the slaying, two men and a woman.
The authorities identified the woman as Elisabeth N., suspected of plotting her Italian husband’s murder.
Her alleged accomplices were named as Gerardo Antonio N. and Luis Martin N.
The arrests were carried out in the municipalities of Palenque and Tuxtla Gutierrez, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
The motive for the murder is not yet known and it is unclear if the suspected shooters had a previous relationship with the Italian businessman.
According to reports, Tunesi was the owner of two hotels in the area, including the Boutique Hotel Quinta Chanabnal.
As well as being an expert in translating ancient texts, the father of three was an authority on Mexico’s Mayan culture.
He had authored several books, including ‘Mayan Art’.
He was also fluent in the Chʼol language, a western branch of the Mayan language family used by the Chʼol people in Chiapas State.
The investigation is ongoing.