An ambulance driver has been arrested and accused of six murders, in a case with parallels to the conviction of Lucy Letby.
On Saturday morning in Meldola, Italy, a 27-year-old Red Cross ambulance driver Luca Spada was arrested on suspicion of causing the deaths of six elderly people by injecting air into their veins.
An arrest warrant was issued, reports La Repubblica, following the autopsy results of an 85-year-old woman, Deanna Mambelli, who died after being transported from a hospital to a physical therapy facility.
Mr Spada had previously been suspended while investigations took place into five previous deaths.
Read More:
Ms Mambelli’s daughter-in-law Monica Biondi told La Repubblica: “At the hospital, they asked us if we wanted to hire a lawyer to assist us because they were having to perform an autopsy, and we were shocked: why an autopsy?
“After that, everything happened very quickly: at 4.30pm, nonna was dead, and at 6.30pm they seized the body, the Carabinieri arrived at the hospital. They never told us why. We never knew anything about this whole story, we never received official communications about why this autopsy was necessary or what had happened. We hope that now, finally, clarity will be achieved.”
All the deaths being investigated occurred between February and November of 2025, and occurred during or shortly after being transported in Mr Spada’s ambulance.
The deaths were not initially treated as suspicious as all the patients were elderly and had numerous medical conditions, until it was noticed that the 27-year-old had been present in all the cases.
It is alleged he killed the patients by injecting air into their veins, the same method by which Lucy Letby was convicted of murdering seven babies, with concerns first raised by his colleagues.
Some have raised questions about the soundness of Letby’s conviction, and the ambulance driver too is arguing he has simply been the victim of bad luck.
Mr Spada said: “I was notified of the investigation at the end of November, and since it was close to Christmas and I have a ten-month-old baby, I took some time off. I thought everything would be cleared up much faster because I’m completely innocent.
Luca Spada being interviewed on Italian television (Image: RAI/YouTube)
“Two patients died in the ambulance, and three later, one even ten days after being transported. And we’re talking about terminally ill patients; all the transfers I made were from one hospital to another. None of them came from a nursing home or from their homes.
“They weren’t healthy, they all had multiple conditions, and most were on their way to palliative care. I took them to the hospice.
“There are always two people in an ambulance and in one of the incidents I’m being accused of I was driving, not even in the back with the patient.
“I thought everything would be much quicker, much more streamlined, but justice will take its course. I have faith in the prosecutor’s office.
“I’ve always said I was just unlucky. They were very elderly people, and we always implemented the necessary protocols. The rest will be clarified by the relevant authorities. I’m relaxed about the situation.”