Un inusuale rituale omicidiario: l’incaprettamento, commesso da un ex componente della Legione Straniera. An unusual homicide by ligature strangulation (“incaprettamento” a.k.a. “trussed goat”) committed by a retired Foreign Legionnaire.

The case presented here concerns an unusual type of strangulation homicide whereby a rope is passed around the victim’s wrists, ankles, and throat resulting in suffocation by auto-asphyxia. The literature usually refers to this method as “incaprettamento” (i.e. “trussed up like a goat”), a method employed by organized crime groups such as the Italian Mafia, but also used in the execution of war crimes, or in various other cultural-anthropological contexts, This method of killing is meant to impart a particularly degrading and humiliating revenge on the victim. It also serves as sign of intimidation and a warning to others.To all appearances, the case presented here is different than those usually reported in the literature. The unusual way in which the killing took place, along with its symbolic meaning, seems to have both military and anthropological origins that reflect the culture to which the perpetrator belonged. This case study, offers the opportunity to analyze the interaction between these factors and those derived from the experience of a rigid military environment such as that of the Foreign Legion.