Denise Graham Fernella, Antiguan woman murdered in Italy alongside Italian husband Silvano Cantarutti who has since been arrested for the crime.

St. John’s Antigua- An Antiguan woman was killed in Italy, allegedly by her 51-year-old Italian husband Silvano Cantarutti, who has since been arrested.

Forty-three-year-old Denise Graham-Fernella, formerly of Potters, was discovered dead on the floor in the bedroom of the family’s Attimis (Udine) home on March 3.

Relatives in Antigua confirmed the news yesterday.

Italian news portals reported that the couple’s 22-year-old daughter found the body around 4:30 pm Friday.

The deceased, reports indicate, appeared to have been struck on the head several times. The police are working on determining the exact time and cause of her death.

Several news agencies said lawmen in Italy recovered a baseball bat they believe was used to kill Graham-Fernella.

According to preliminary information from Italy, the couple’s relationship was troubled by frequent quarrels that were reported and closely followed by social services.

Reports are that the two tied the knot in 1989 and moved to Italy in 2002.

Relatives here held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss funeral arrangements among other things.

Yesterday, one of the dead woman’s siblings told OBSERVER media the family is still awaiting word about the incident and the case from authorities in Italy. They have only spoken with Graham-Fernella’s daughter.