Deemed too obese for frison. A convicted murderer now walks free

As a result of obesity and smoking, a man who fatally stabbed his girlfriend during a vacation in Sardinia has been released from prison. He gives an exclusive interview to an Italian television station.

"I would pay gold for my death," says Dimitri Fricano during an interview with "Pomeriggio 5" on Canale 5. Fricano, who was sentenced to 30 years for his partner's brutal murder, was released from prison on grounds of extreme obesity and cigarette addiction. The Turin court's decision to convert his sentence to house arrest, affording him better care, ignited public controversy.

The horrifying incident occurred in 2017 during the couple's holiday in Sardinia. According to foreign media reports, 28-year-old Erika criticized her boyfriend of ten years for making a mess while eating. Reportedly, Dimitri retaliated by inflicting 57 knife wounds on her. "57 wounds? I don't know if they counted correctly," he says in today's exclusive interview with the Italian broadcaster.

Fricano reveals that during his time in prison, he "went insane and gained 440 pounds." "I'm reliant on a wheelchair. I haven't been able to bathe for years because I couldn't leave my cell," says the convicted murderer, who claims he was at constant risk in prison. "I haven't lived for 6 years," he adds, in an apology to Erika's parents who were watching the interview live from a TV studio.

"It's appalling that a convicted killer serving a 30-year sentence can come home just because of obesity. The thought of running into him on the street or at the doctor's office is beyond imagination. He needs to be back behind bars, that's where he belongs," comments the victim's father.