A police officer and a “petty criminal” have been arrested over the fatal shooting of a bartender linked to a “trans sex tape”.
Sergiu Tarna was abducted outside a bar in Chirignago – on the outskirts of Venice, Italy, at around 2:15am on 31 December.
He was driven to a field in nearby Malcontenta and shot in the head at around 3am in an execution-style killing.
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Local police officer Riccardo Salvagno, of Marghera, was identified and arrested a few days after the crime.
He had gone to Tenerife but later returned and was hiding in a farmhouse in Malcontenta.
Unemployed Andrea Vescovo, of Spinea, was detained at his mother’s home at dawn on Wednesday (14 Jan).
Vescovo, who has a record of minor prior offences, had locked himself inside the flat for two weeks to avoid being seen. He is now in custody in Venice.
Vescovo, 38, had been named by Salvagno, 40, during questioning, as reported by Need To Know.
CCTV footage showed two men threatening Tarna, 25, with a gun and forcing him into a car. While Salvagno’s face was clearly visible, his accomplice’s identity remained unclear.
Investigators believe the two suspects first met at a nightclub and bonded over a shared fascination with weapons, drugs, and strip clubs.
Salvagno had no criminal record but had accumulated warnings and disciplinary actions at work.
On one occasion, he reportedly used council CCTV to follow a woman he was infatuated with in Venice.
He also ran in the 2024 municipal elections in Spinea, and acquaintances described him as a habitual cocaine user.
Police believe Salvagno decided to kill Tarna in revenge over a sex tape involving a trans woman.
Salvagno told police he had not seen the video but had been told about it.
He claimed the sex was non-consensual, that he had been drugged and assaulted, and that the video had been filmed without his knowledge.
Both men are charged with murder under joint enterprise. Further interrogations will determine who fired the fatal shot.
Tarna’s funeral was held in Zelarino yesterday (15 Jan).
He is survived by his mother, Anatasia Burghelea, and two younger brothers.
At the service, Anatasia said: “Look around, Sergiu – so many people are here, your colleagues, your school friends.
“They should have seen you get married, not die. I will be strong. I will live for you, my little Sergiu.”
Police are still searching for the murder weapon.
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