My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark - 408 - Turn It Forward

Episode Date: December 28, 2023

On today's episode, Karen tells Georgia the survival story of Italian feminist icon Franca Viola.For our sources and show notes, visit www.myfavoritemurder.com/episodes.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hey Canada, give yourself the gift of co-ho and take some of the sting out of your holiday spending this season. Get instant cash back and earn up to 5% interest on your entire balance on Canada's highest rated financial app. Co-ho is a Canadian FinTech company rooted in the belief that better financial solutions for all Canadians exist. That's why with co-ho, there are no hidden fees, no fine print, and no catch, just an app that's made for your money.

Kohho offers a 5% interest rate on savings, which is four times the best banks in Canada was new offers coming soon. Join over 1 million Canadians and sign up for your free trial now. Download Kohho on Google or the app store today or visit Kohho online. That's k-o-h-o-dot-c-a for more details. You can also get $20 when you make your first purchase using the code Murder20. That's $20 when you use our code Murder20. Goodbye!

Many put their hope in Dr. Serhat. His company was worth half a billion dollars. His research promised groundbreaking treatments for HIV and cancer. But the brilliant doctor was hiding a secret. You can listen to Dr. Death, Bad Magic, exclusively an ad free by subscribing to Wendry Plus in the Wendry app. I say hello. Hello. Hello. Wow.

And welcome to my favorite murder. That's Georgia Heart Stark. That's Karen Kalkeraf. We're here to present you just a little bit of true crime throughout this holiday season. That's what we're doing. We're deep into the month of December. You can't go to the grocery store anymore without a panic attack. No, there's nothing there anyway.

You go to get that stuffing mix. It's not there. No. Shits hitting the fan. And we're here to tell you true crime stories. That's right. Yes. You know, like with the doctor ordered.

Right. Asian others sing the doctor ordered. See, that's called the segue. Clean and crisp. I love it. A profession. This is December, the holiday month. We started a tradition of making donations throughout the month of December. So, George,

do you want to tell everybody what this week's donation is? I would love to. This week, we are donating $10,000 to one simple wish. At one simple wish, they believe that everyone should experience love, hope, and joy. They aim to restore happiness to those who have been impacted by the trauma of foster care and childhood crisis by granting giftable wishes. So you can find out more about them. It's a great organization. We're so happy to be able to donate. You can go to onesimplewish.org. I really like this charity. I think it's such a cool idea. So yeah, because it's the month of December and we want to take time off like everyone does, like everyone else does,

we're just, each doing a story a week and this week is Karen's turn. It's my turn. I really like, I think you're gonna like this story this week, although I will say, trigger warning, this is a story about sexual assault. We begin in the early 1960s in Italy. It's a time of major change in the country.

With World War II, well over, the economy is booming again. Young people are pushing back against the entrenched social standards that they consider restrictive. You know, Italy, it's a very religious country. It's also very kind of old school country. Yeah. This is also especially true for Italian girls and women of the time who feel particularly oppressed by the traditional beliefs that marginalize and limit them. But these big cultural shifts aren't catching on everywhere in Italy. In fact, in Sicily, traditional conservative norms are still the status quo, and breaking free from them,

especially if you're a woman means putting your reputation and your personal safety at risk. And yet, this Sicilian woman I'm gonna tell you about today did just that. After enduring brutal violence, she took a stand against the social standards that favored male rapists and abusers over their victims. And because of her bravery,

she changed the country forever. This is the story of Frank Avila. The main sources used today are an episode of the podcast case file entitled Case 324, Frank Avila, the book Italian sketches, the faces of modern Italy by Deirdre Piro and an article by Neves Cohen entitled, Franka Viole says, no gender violence consent and the law in 1960s Italy. Wow. And the rest of the sources are in our show notes. So it's 1963 and 15 year old Franca Viole lives with her family in the small town of Alcomo in Sicily. The Violas are farmers, they don't have much money, but they're close-knit, happy family, and Franca is roundly described as beautiful. So even

though she doesn't have a lot of money, that does give her some leverage in her community, like other young women of this time in place, Frank's primary responsibility is to marry well. And it's expected that her good looks will help her make a good match. And she has caught the eye of someone who on paper would be considered a good match. 23-year-old Philippo Melodia comes from money. He's handsome, he's well connected, and reportedly the nephew of a high-ranking member

of the Sicilian Mafia. Right there. Which I think is even more serious than the regular Italian Mafia. Yeah, I think you're right. I feel like the Sicilians, that's what the Godfather trilogy was based on, that's Sicilian, but I don't know,

that could be a guess. Please don't be offended for any reason. So, Philippo runs around al Qamau in his white alfa Romeo Giulietta, kind of like he owns the place. And for all that he does have in his life, he doesn't have the one thing he really wants, and that's Franka Viole. So, Filippo begins to court Franka for marriage, and he actually does propose, and Franka is initially interested, you know, he's good-looking and he's got money, it's almost like, oh my God, you know,

is this a dream come true? But she is somewhat cautious, so before she makes such a huge life decision, she decides that she wants to get to know him better. So she doesn't accept his proposal. She's like, let's hang out a little bit first. And then as she gets to know him better, Philippo's bad behavior and his CD reputation change Frank as mind. At one point, Filippo is arrested for theft, which leads Frank as father Bernardo to rescind his approval of this engagement. He wants his daughter to end the relationship altogether, and Frank does not need much

convincing at this point. She dumps Filippo and starts pursuing other options. What if your partner developed 21 new identities, or you discovered that your friend who helped you through the darkest times was actually a conniving con artist, or what if you began seeing demons everywhere, inhabiting people around you, including your son? What would you do? I'm Whit Missildine, the creator of this is actually happening, a podcast that brings you extraordinary true stories of life-changing events, a podcast that brings you extraordinary true stories of life-changing events, told by the people who lived them. In our newest season, you'll hear

even more intimate first-person accounts of how regular people have overcome remarkable circumstances, like the man who went to jail for 17 years for accidentally shooting the person who tried to save his life, to a close friend of the infamous scam artist Amanda Riley. These haunting accounts sound like Hollywood movies, but I assure you, this is actually happening. Follow this is actually happening on the Wondry app or wherever you get your podcasts, and you can listen to this is actually happening ad-free on Wondry Plus.

If you need a new addition to your weekly true crime lineup, there's a podcast you need to know about called the Generation Y Podcast, one of the longest running true crime podcasts out there. Generation Y digs into some of the craziest and most notable murders, crimes, and even some conspiracy theories. Every week, hosts Aaron and Justin sit down to discuss a new case or crazy occurrence and they cover everything. From mysterious disappearances and shady murders to the mysteries of skinwalker ranch and the outrageous pizegate scandal. Over at Generation Y, they cover every angle and every theory,

walking you through the forensic evidence, and sometimes even interviewing those close to the case. The Generation Y podcast is a classic True Crime Podcast, and with over 450 episodes, there's a case for every True Crime listener. Follow the Generation Y Podcast on the Wondria, or wherever you get your podcasts, and you can listen to the Generation Y Podcast and free on Wondria Plus. From Wondria and hosted by Laura Biel, the critically acclaimed Dr. Death is back with a new season. Dr. Death, Bad Magic, is a story of miraculous cures, magic, and murder. When a charismatic hot shot doctor announced revolutionary treatments for cancer and HIV, it seemed like the world was given a miracle cure.

Medical experts rushed to praise Dr. Sirhot Gum Ruku, the genius co-founder of a cutting-edge biotech company. But when a team of private researchers dove into Sir Hot's background, they began to suspect the brilliant doctor was hiding a shocking secret. After a man was found dead in the snow surrounded by bullet casings, and with his wrist shackled, Sir Hot would no longer be known for life-changing treatments, but as a fraud and a key suspect in the grizzly murder. Follow Dr. Death Bad Magic on the Wondry app or wherever you get your podcasts.

And you can listen to Dr. Death Bad Magic early and add free right now by joining Wondry Plus. Goodbye. Two years pass, it's now 1965. Franca's 17 years old and she is engaged to marry another man. But as you can guess, Filippo hasn't gotten over Franca

and he certainly hasn't forgotten the rejection. Instead, he's using intimidation tactics to strong arm her into getting back together with him. In addition to stalking her, he's been harassing her fiance and her father. But the more Franca resists him, the more Filippo's behavior escalates.

Soon, he's linked to a case of arson at the viola family's farm, and that destroys essential farming equipment that the family relies on. And then a few months after that, someone destroys the family's crops. That's a massive financial blow to the violas. They're basically heading into wintertime with almost no money. And it's an open secret. The Filippo is behind these acts of sabotage, but there is no direct evidence linking him to it.

And of course, he's connected with the mafia, so no one's really saying anything. And while Filippo continues to harass the violas, he like shows up on the family property, he's got a gun. When they see him in public, he looks at Frank's father and smiles like in a sinister way. They're terrified of him. They constantly worry about what he might do next.

Frank fears for her life, and now she's afraid to leave her house. So the day after Christmas 1965, several cars pull up to the viola home. and now she's afraid to leave her house. So the day after Christmas, 1965, several cars pull up to the viola home. One of them is a white Alfa Romeo Giulietta, and then 12 masked men get out of these cars. They fire gunshots into the air, they force their way inside the family home.

Oh my God. So the father Bernardo isn't home at the time. So Franka's mother Vita yells for her daughter to run as she tries to fight 12 men off at the front door. Vita is knocked to the ground and beaten. While some of the men run after Franka, they grab her and as they pull her toward the front door, Franka's eight-year-old brother, Mariano,

clings to her leg and refuses to let go. I know. These men show no mercy, but even though they beat him, Mariano will not let go of his sister's leg. So the men are forced to put both Frank and Mariano into one of their cars, and then they speed away. The police are called Bernardo Rush's home as fast as he can. Even though these were masked men, both Bernardo and Vita have no doubt

that Filippo Melodia is responsible for this kidnapping. Fortunately, investors take the situation very seriously. They do their best to work with the violas to figure out where exactly Filippo could have taken their children. The problem is that the violas neighbors are also afraid of Filippo could have taken their children. The problem is that the viola's neighbors are also afraid of Filippo and his mafia connections and they're not talking to the police. But there is good news.

Eight-year-old Mariano is found and reunited with his parents. He had been thrown out of the car and abandoned on the side of the road soon after the cars took off. So he's relatively okay, but Franca is nowhere to be found. So meanwhile on the outer edges of Alcamo, Filippo and his crew pull up in front of an unoccupied farmhouse

and his Franca is taken from the car. Filippo reportedly tells her, quote, once I'm done with you, you will not be able to marry another man but me. Oh my God. So, Frank is held against her will for days and repeatedly raped by Filippo. Jesus. So, here's the thing. Filippo knows that this will hurt Filippo, not just physically or emotionally

or psychologically, but on top of the trauma of the physical violence that she endured, Franca is an unwed woman. And in the eyes of Italian society, at this time, if a woman loses her virginity before she's married, she is considered to be quote dishonored, even if she's the victim of rape. Holy shit. Which is not just Italy, same is true. That's how it was in Ireland. A lot of young women were sent to the Magdalene Laundries after they were raped so they could have their babies like out of the eyes of society. And then that was just another place where they were abused and it was, you know, horrible. So this this standard of that basically the woman being blamed for this crime against her has been going on for a while. So, Filippo knows that when word spread

that Francois had premarital sex, she will likely be ostracized by her community. She will lose the fiancee that she has, and she'll have little hope of finding another man to marry. And it'll sentence her to a life of poverty because if she doesn't have a husband, women at the time don't have a lot of options to make money on their own. This is revenge, but also it's like a way to take back control.

Beyond that, the stigma of having a promiscuous daughter, quote unquote promiscuous daughter, will hurt the entire viola family. They've already lost that year's harvest. This added perceived shame that they will carry will make it difficult for them to recover financially because they won't be able to recover socially. So meanwhile, there are actually laws on the books that favor male rapists over their female victims, especially in cases like, Frankas. So kidnapping and rape are illegal according to the Italian criminal code, but there is a specific article,

article number 544, that's basically a loophole. And it states that charges like rape will be dropped if an accused perpetrator ends up marrying his victim, even if the victim is a minor. And this is referred to as Reparatory Marriage. She's a... Yeah. There have been many Italian women throughout history who have been pressured into marrying the man who raped them. Writer Neve Cullen reports that, quote, the abduction of young women with the intention of forcing them into marriage was a somewhat tolerated practice in Sicily and Southern Italy, occurring occasionally up into the 1960s. Such cases were often

difficult to distinguish from consensual alopements, and violas kidnappers intended to exploit the ambiguity between love and violence." And we actually talked about this a tiny bit in episode 384 when I covered Leonardo Giancouli, the soap maker of Coraggio. Leonardo's mother was a victim of rape and she was pressured into marrying her attacker. So I think we like touched on that briefly, but several people wrote in after we did that story saying, this is the story you need to tell now because this is when that practice basically was ended. Wow. So this is what Filippo means when he says to Frank, once I'm done with you, you won't be able to marry another man, but me.

He believes Frank will think that she has no other option than to marry him after his attack. And when she does, he'll avoid criminal charges through a repatory Marriage, and he'll get what he wanted all along, which is Frank of Viole as his wife. So now it's January 6th, 12 days have passed since the kidnapping. Thanks to Bernardo and Vida Viole pretending to go along with Vlipo, the police have learned where he's keeping Franka. So when officers and the Viole is arrive at that farmhouse that they

took her to, Filippo thinks his master plan is working. He walks Franca outside. She's weak, but she manages to get away from him and get over to her father collapsing into his arms. And Filippo is arrested, but he's not concerned about it because he fully expects Franca to tell the police right there that she intends to marry him. He's so confident in fact that he flashes a smile and coccally asks the officers for a cigarette. Then he turns to Franca and waits for her to say those exonerating words that she has accepted his marriage proposal. But as the podcast case file reports, quote, Franka paused in front of Filippo Melodia looked him in the eye and told him, I will never marry you." And quote, so as his grin fades, Filippo is then

arrested and taken to jail. So probably an amazing moment, but now Franca has to deal with the consequences of her decision. She's just rejected a Reparatory Marriage proposal by doing so, accepted her status as a quote dishonored woman. And it is reported that Franca Viola is the first Sicilian woman to ever reject a Reparatory Marriage proposal. She did it first.

Wow. Like after all that time. Yeah. In another break from traditional norms, Frank is family backs her entirely. So there was a practice where it'd be like, if there was even an idea of that, then you would be shunned. Yeah, yeah.

Unfortunately, the community is not as supportive in the days and weeks that follow. Many people in Alkama are openly hostile toward her and her family. No one's willing to hire Bernardo and the family sinks deeper and deeper into financial ruin. And once again, Franca hardly leaves the house. But now instead of being stalked and harassed by Filippo,

she's actually being taunted and judged by her neighbors. But there are some people around Alcomo who admire Franka's decision. Their feelings seem complicated at best. For example, Case File reports that, quote, during a council meeting for the town of Alcomo, it was proposed that the council stand in solidarity of Franca, her family, and all the others who had been bullied, the proposition was unanimously approved. But when one councilor stood up and rhetorically requested a show of hands, as to who among them would be willing to marry any dishonored woman, no one moved.

End quote, which also was kind of like, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't do it. It's just that you were asking people on the fly, basically, you know, like volunteer to say it now or whatever, where no one's at brave. And that's why what Franka did was so powerful is because she was like breaking the norm. Totally. So in December of 1966,

Philippa Melodius trial begins around 500 people show up to the courthouse to watch the proceedings. Filippo and his attorneys have a clear tactic for his defense. They hope to appeal to those conservative social values that favor a rapist over what society now sees as a dishonored female victim. But they also straight up lie.

Faleebo claims that he and Franka shared a passionate love affair that her father sabotaged. He claims that Franka consented to running away and having sex with him because she wanted to marry him all along. And this was just her way of getting around her father's disapproval. In response, the prosecutors simply point to Franka's brave actions of vocally

turning down a repairatory marriage, which is the clearest indication that she never consented to any of this. And then Frank herself testifies. She talks about the harassment that she suffered at Fleebo's hands, as well as the horrors of being held captive and subjected to repeated sexual assault. Franca denies ever being in love with Filippo and condemns the societal pressure she's faced to marry her own rapist. And she's 17 years old.

Yeah, she bravely tells the court, quote, I am the property of no one. No one can force me to love a person I do not respect. Honor is lost by the one who does certain things, not the one who is subjected to them. Badass. And with that, the court sides with Frank of Viola, Vlipo is found guilty and given an 11 year prison sentence

for kidnap and rape. It'll be reduced to 10 years following an appeal, but it's basically a groundbreaking finding. And eight of Philippo's co-conspirators who helped orchestrate and execute the kidnapping are also convicted. So this whole thing is like, people turn on it. And what's kind of a bigger miracle is everything Franca had been told about her life being ruined turns out to not be true at all. In fact, yeah, right? In 1968, when she's 20 years old, Franka marries her childhood sweetheart, 25-year-old accountant

Giuseppe Ruisi, and to ensure their safety for many of Filippo's gang, they get married in a small private ceremony held at dawn. Several police officers who worked on Frank's case are there, both as wedding guests and as security. By this point, Frank's stand against Filippo has made her a national symbol of a modernizing Italy. And after her wedding, the Italian president and the prime minister send the newlyweds gifts. And Pope Paul VI holds a private meeting

with the couple in Rome. Wow. Especially growing up in a very Catholic culture. The idea that not only is she not dishonored, not only is she not being judged by something that she was a victim of. The idea that the Pope would have an audience with just the two of them is essentially the Catholic Church telling society you're not going to be doing that anymore, which is

in and of itself a miracle, not an institution known for progressive thinking. That's incredible. I felt like I needed to tell you that because it felt like you had mistaken the Catholic Church for me. Oh, I thought they were lenient and forgiving. No, no. That's the Presbyterians. We got it.

And then in 1970, an Italian filmmaker makes a movie inspired by Franka's life called The Most Beautiful Wife. And this film, Semence, Franka Viola, as a national hero and a feminist icon. Yes. Franka, who does not love The Limelight, is very modest when she's asked about her legacy. She says, quote, it was not a courageous gesture. I only did what I felt I had to do as as any other girl would do today. I listened to my heart and quote. And in 1976, Philippo Melodia is released from prison

two years later as he was heading home from a neighborhood bar. he shot to death in a mafia style killing. And then in 1981, 15 years after the trial, the Repetory Marriage article is finally repealed from the Italian criminal code. Oh, thank God. 81. Yeah, that's insane. 81. To the best of our knowledge, Frank Aviola is still alive and living a quiet life in al-Kamo with her husband.

She would now be in her mid 70s and writer Neve Cullen says this about her, quote, Frank Aviola's case represented an important moment in modern Italian gender politics. Her famous no represented a crucial step in the redefinition of marriage as a decision based on love, equality and respect rather than shame and coercion, and in the recognition of sexual and gender violence in Italian society." And quote, and that's the inspiring story of Frank Aveola, an Italian feminist icon. Wow. Like, if she hadn't done that, it could have been decades more that that would have lasted. It's a very human thing. I got this from Brunei Brown,

but that idea of being turned away by society is like a very deep down human fear. And people will do anything to not be rejected, to not be discluded. Yeah, so that idea that society says this, this is how it is. Yeah. It's more important for you to be a virgin

than anything else, including your own safety and your own humanity. And that kind of thing will people will hold something like that up for a really long time. If it means that them standing against it means they're expelled from society. Yeah. No, it's revolutionary what she did.

I hope she's proud of herself, because that's just incredible. If she got a gift from the president and the prime minister, she's like, mm-hmm. I wonder what she got. I wish she had done on a boxing video. Ha, ha, ha. It also just reminds me that it's December of 2023,

and women still do not have agency over their own bodies in the United States of America. So anybody that was just judging Italy in the 60s in some fucked up way, let's get right with the fact that we need to make abortion legal across the United States because women are people too. And we need to have all the same rights as Mending. That's right. Legal and safe.

Please God, dammit. God dammit. 2020, well, it's gonna be 2024. So that's the year that everything changes. That's the year we turn it back to how it is supposed to be. Well, turn it forward. Cause I don't want, let's not go back. Let's not go back. Can we, we're going back. Fast forward. Well, thanks for forward. Cause I don't want it. Let's not go back. Let's not go back.

Can we? I would rather. Fast forward. Well, thanks for listening, guys. I hope your December is going well. I hope you are getting that big bow for that car. You're about to gift to someone like they've got commercials. The biggest bow.

Where do you get those? Party City. Get yourself a nice sugar cookie with a bunch of powdered sugar on top of it. That's right. And a pumpkin, whatever latte, whatever you want. Whatever you like, or peppermint, maybe some kind of a peppermint in there. And then lastly, stay sexy. And don't get murdered. Give it! Elvis, do you want a cookie? Aaaaah! This has been an exactly right production. Our senior producer is Alejandra Keck,

our managing producer's Hannah Kyle Crighton. Our editor is Aristotle Acevedo. This episode was mixed by Liana Squilaccio. Our researchers are Marin McClashian and Ali Elkin. Email your hometowns to my favorite murder at gmail.com. Follow the show on Instagram and Facebook at my favorite murder and Twitter at my fave murder. Goodbye!