A nurse allegedly strangled his doctor partner to death because he thought he had caught coronavirus from her.
Antonio De Pace, 28, called the police and apparently admitted he murdered girlfriend Lorena Quartana.
The pair had both worked at a hospital in Messina, Sicily, and were helping fight the pandemic.
Police found the 27-year-old newly qualified doctor dead at the apartment she shared with De Pace – who had hurt himself and was lying on the floor.
Paramedics and hospital staff were able to save his life before, according to the Sun, he allegedly confessed to local prosecutor Maurizio de Lucia: “I killed her because she gave me coronavirus.”
Early indications suggest, however, that neither of them had Covid-19, though tests are ongoing.
In the days before her tragic death, Lorena had shared a report which highlighted how more than 12,000 doctors had died, which she put was “unacceptable”.
She added: “Now more than ever we need to demonstrate responsibility and love for life. You must show respect for yourselves, your families and the country.
”You must think and remember those that dedicate their lives daily to looking after our sick.
“Let’s stick together everyone staying at home. Let’s avoid the next one falling sick is a loved one or ourselves.”
Last month De Pace, meanwhile, congratulated her on qualifying in a post of his own.
“To reach our dreams you have to work hard with determination and you are proof.
“I wish you to keep chasing your dreams, always live the life you always imagined. Well done!
“Congratulations on your brilliant graduation doctor.”
He has since been targeted on his page by people from the area, with one describing him as a “son of a b****”.
Lorena’s heartbroken parents have been told her funeral will have to be held quickly due to the constant rise in virus deaths – with Italy having been hit hardest by the pandemic.