Plea deal criticized after man arrested in woman’s slaying

By FRANCES D’EMILIO
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — The mayor of a northern Italian city is calling for stiffer laws to protect women after the slaying of a woman allegedly by her ex-boyfriend, who had recently received a plea deal for repeatedly stalking her after their breakup. Mayor Luca Vecchi of Reggio Emilia rallied citizens for a silent sit-in on Sunday in a city park where Juana Cecilia Hazana Loayza was found slain a day earlier. Vecchi said “Italy can no longer ignore this grave problem” of femicide – the slayings of women. A 24-year-old Italian man from a nearby city was arrested hours after the Peruvian woman’s body was found. This month, a court opted to suspend his two-year sentence for stalking the same woman.