Mystery of the car execution of Lia Zenari, ex-partner of an Italian mafia boss

A serious criminal event shook the city of Milan on January 16, 1978, opening one of the deepest enigmas in the history of Italian crime. On Paisiello Street, a residential area near Viale Abruzzi, the lifeless bodies of two people were found inside a vehicle: Cosimo Tarallo, a criminal known for robberies, and Amalia Luciana Zenari, known as Lia.

According to the testimony of a nearby garage attendant, at least three people were seen near the scene. One of them, wrapped in a thick gray coat due to the sub-zero temperatures, carried out the attack together with the others and vanished into the darkness, Corriere reports. Tarallo was shot four times in the face, neck, and chest, while Lia Zenari, seated in the passenger seat, was killed with a single bullet to the face.

The discovery of the woman’s identity gave the investigation a completely new direction. Lia Zenari had been the former partner of one of the most powerful crime figures in Milan, Francesco “Francis” Turatello. Raised in the working-class neighborhoods of Lorenteggio, she worked as a model and dancer in nightclubs, but her life changed radically after she became involved with Turatello.

Turatello, born in Asiago and raised in Milan, had built one of the most powerful criminal networks of the time. His career began with car theft, then continued with cigarette smuggling, illegal gambling, and other activities. Endowed with charisma and high organizational skills, he became a respected and feared name in the criminal world.

Lia was not just his companion. She was considered a close collaborator, responsible for the organization’s weapons, present on criminal trips abroad, ready to provide alibis and to protect him. However, their relationship came to an end. In a letter from prison, Turatello expressed the desire to find their son Eros “a clean mother,” implying that he had distanced himself from her.

The murder of Lia Zenari at the age of 35 remained an unsolved mystery for decades. A few days before the attack, she had appeared at the police station and declared that she possessed important information about Turatello. She promised to reveal secrets of the criminal world, but then changed her mind and left, a decision that may have cost her her life.

The investigation explored several leads. One of them was linked to the attempt by Turatello’s former associate, Angelo Epaminonda, to take control of the criminal network. He had begun eliminating the loyalists of the former boss, and Lia could have been one of the targets. Another theory suggested that her murder might have resulted from a conflict with other figures in the criminal world, including Tarallo himself, who was killed with her. However, it was never established whether the execution order came from Turatello himself or from his rivals.

The case of Lia Zenari also sheds light on a lesser-known chapter of Italian criminality: the active role of women in mafia organizations. In that period, they were called “bossesse” – women who were not simply partners of bosses, but who held important responsibilities. Lia was a clear example of this phenomenon, being an essential part of Turatello’s empire. But after his fall, her power faded. Separation from her son Eros and addiction to alcohol led her life toward a tragic end.

One of the most symbolic and talked-about details of her story was a tattoo that Lia wore on her hand for many years. It was a seven-letter name: Francis. It represented a deep sign of love for Turatello, but also a memory from which she later tried to free herself, attempting to remove it from her skin.

On that cold January day in 1978, on Paisiello Street, the life of Lia Zenari was cut short by a hail of bullets. Even today, the circumstances of her murder continue to raise questions and remain part of one of the greatest mysteries of Italian crime.