A British man living in Italy has admitted stabbing his partner to death, claiming he did it after she accused him of cheating on her.
Michael Whitbread, 75, told a court he could not remember how many times he stabbed fellow Briton Michelle Faires, 66, in October 2023.
At the time of the murder, the couple was living in a renovated villa in Verratti, a remote village in Abruzzo region, the newspaper said.
Mr Whitbread fled the scene and drove back to the UK, but when Mr Faires’ body was discovered his daughter alerted police to his whereabouts. He was extradited to Italy for trial.
In his first statement on Friday, the former diving instructor, from Torquay, claimed Mr Faires had been having an affair with her over several months after he witnessed her fondling the woman’s butt at a party in 2022.
Ms Whitbread denies cheating, but told Lanciano court that the couple would have a heated argument over the incident. “I had some weird clips around my head and then it got worse.”
On the night of October 28, 2023, Faiers woke him up and began punching him, saying, “I wish I was dead,” he said.
Mr. Whitbread took a knife from the kitchen and handed it to her, saying, “Kill me. I’ve had enough.”
“This was after 10 months of being criticized for things I didn’t even do,” he continued.
“She kicked me in my intimate parts and tried to push me down the stairs. I thought, she’s going to cut me. That’s when I panicked and grabbed the knife.”
Mr Fairs was found by Italian police lying in bed with seven stab wounds to his back. Mr Whitbread told the court: “I stabbed her. I don’t remember how many times I stabbed her.”
He claimed that Ms Faires’ actions before her death led to her attempted suicide.
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The court heard Mr Whitbread had been married three times, two of which ended because of his infidelity.
Ms. Fairs’ three adult daughters attended the hearing and comforted each other as Ms. Whitbread explained how she killed their mother.
The daughters’ lawyer, Nadia Germana Tuscona, said after the hearing: Something he’s never done. For Michele’s daughters, it was really important because it’s a way to start again. ”
The trial continued, and the judge ordered a psychological evaluation of Whitbread.
