Pamela Genini tried everything to escape a relationship that was spiraling out of control.
The 29-year-old model reached out to her ex-boyfriend for help and tried to break free from her dangerous relationship with businessman Gianluca Soncin.
But an Italian model’s desperate call for help ended in tragedy when her wealthy boyfriend broke into her Milan apartment and stabbed her 24 times on Tuesday night.
Neighbors heard screams while police desperately tried to break down door
Genini was found dead inside her top-floor Milan apartment after neighbors reported hearing screams and desperate pleas for help.¹
She had been arguing with her boyfriend, 52-year-old Gianluca Soncin, when the confrontation turned violent on the apartment balcony.²
Neighbors watching from adjacent buildings saw Soncin dragging Genini by her hair onto the terrace and heard her screaming "Aiuto, aiuto" – "Help, help" in Italian.³
When police arrived and rang the intercom, Genini was still alive and answered.⁴
She told Soncin "It’s Glovo" – pretending to him that it was just a food delivery service – in a desperate attempt to make him think the police weren’t there.⁵
But Soncin blocked her from pressing the button to let officers in.⁶
A neighbor on a nearby balcony shouted to police "La ammazza, la ammazza" – "He’s killing her, he’s killing her."⁷
Officers broke down the door, but Soncin continued stabbing Genini even as they rushed in.⁸
She was pronounced dead at the scene after being stabbed 24 times.⁹
Soncin allegedly slashed his own neck twice in an apparent suicide attempt, but was stabilized and rushed to Milan’s Niguarda Hospital in critical condition under police supervision.¹⁰
Killer broke in with duplicate key he made weeks earlier
Look, here’s what makes this story even more chilling – Soncin had been planning this for weeks.
Genini had been on the phone with her ex-boyfriend, confiding her fears about Soncin’s increasingly obsessive behavior, when Soncin suddenly appeared inside her apartment.¹¹
The ex-boyfriend immediately called police and rushed to the scene, but arrived too late.¹²
Investigators discovered that Soncin had secretly made a duplicate key to Genini’s apartment weeks earlier to ensure he could get to her whenever he wanted.¹³
Genini had suspected he had copied her keys and told friends she was terrified of what he might do.¹⁴
The killer had even tried to get into the building before by repeatedly buzzing other residents’ intercoms, causing complaints from neighbors.¹⁵
On Tuesday night, he used that duplicate key to let himself in while she was on the phone calling for help.
Businessman had history of threats and financial crimes
Soncin wasn’t just a jealous boyfriend – he’s a wealthy businessman from a prominent family in Biella who had a history of controlling behavior and legal troubles.¹⁶
The 52-year-old car dealer had been dating Genini for about a year and a half, but the relationship was rocky from the start.¹⁷
Genini had confided to friends that she was afraid of him, describing him as "violent," and neighbors reported hearing arguments and seeing police respond to their apartment before, though she never filed formal charges.¹⁸
During a vacation last summer at the island of Elba, Soncin threatened to kill Genini’s beloved Chihuahua named Bianca – prompting her to cut the trip short and return home alone.¹⁹
Friends told police that Soncin had threatened not just Genini but also her mother if she tried to leave him.²⁰
The businessman even went so far as to isolate her from friends and family, forbidding her from seeing them and controlling her financially, creating "a relationship of complete economic and psychological dependence," according to investigators.²¹
Soncin was arrested by financial police in 2010 in connection with an operation that dismantled a ring operating between Germany and Italy accused of selling hundreds of luxury cars at artificially low prices and evading taxes through false invoices.²²
The scheme involved about €30 million worth of luxury vehicles and approximately €6.5 million in evaded taxes.²³
It’s unclear if Soncin was ever convicted in that case.²⁴
Model had successful career in fashion and business
Genini had built an impressive life for herself before this tragedy.
She modeled in high-fashion campaigns in Milan, co-founded the swimwear brand SheLux with friend Elisa Bortolotti, and ran a luxury real estate business with an office on Via Montenapoleone in Milan’s fashion district.²⁵
She also appeared on the Italian reality dating show "The Island of Adam and Eve," hosted by Vladimir Luxuria, where contestants participate naked.²⁶
The model-turned-entrepreneur often showcased her glamorous lifestyle on Instagram, posting photos from vacations in Portofino and red carpet appearances at the Venice Film Festival in September.²⁷
She had been dating Soncin for more than a year, but friends told officers the relationship had been rocky for months and that she had been planning to leave him.²⁸
In fact, Genini had broken off the relationship and wanted to end things permanently – which is what triggered Soncin’s fatal attack.²⁹
Italian judge warns killer could strike again
Soncin now faces charges of murder aggravated by stalking, premeditation, and femicide.³⁰
In Italy, femicide refers to the killing of a woman due to gender-based motives or domestic violence and is prosecuted as an aggravated form of homicide.³¹
Milan judge Tommaso Perna wrote in his order confirming Soncin’s detention that the businessman "could kill again."³²
The judge specifically noted that Soncin "has threatened to kill the victim’s mother as well, and it cannot be ruled out at this stage that he will carry out this act, which he has announced several times."³³
Perna also warned that Soncin poses a danger to Genini’s ex-boyfriend Francesco, "who contributed significantly to reconstructing the context" of the relationship.³⁴
When questioned by prosecutor Alessia Menegazzo at the hospital, Soncin invoked his right to remain silent.³⁵
The pattern here is clear – this wasn’t a crime of passion or a sudden loss of control.
Soncin had been threatening, isolating, and controlling Genini for months.
He made duplicate keys to ensure he could get to her whenever he wanted.
He brought a knife with him, showing premeditation.
And when she finally tried to break free, he killed her even as police were literally breaking down the door.
The tragedy is that Genini did everything she was supposed to do – she confided in friends, she tried to leave, she called for help.
Her ex-boyfriend immediately alerted police when she reached out in terror.
But even with neighbors watching and screaming, even with police arriving while she was still alive, even with her desperate attempt to signal that help had arrived – none of it was enough.
By the time officers broke through the door, Soncin had already delivered the fatal blows.
¹ Richard Pollina, "Italian model stabbed over 20 times by boyfriend in apartment balcony killing: report," New York Post, October 16, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ "Pamela Genini, la polizia al citofono e la parola in codice: ‘Glovo,’" Il Giorno, October 15, 2025.
⁴ "Femminicidio Pamela Genini: le 24 coltellate, la chiamata all’ex e Glovo al citofono," Il Fatto Quotidiano, October 15, 2025.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ "Pamela Genini uccisa dal compagno: quando la polizia è arrivata lei era viva," Il Mattino, October 15, 2025.
⁷ "Pamela Genini, la polizia al citofono e la parola in codice: ‘Glovo,’" Il Giorno, October 15, 2025.
⁸ "Pamela Genini uccisa a coltellate dal compagno. ‘Glovo?’: il messaggio in codice," Mam-e, October 15, 2025.
⁹ Richard Pollina, "Italian model stabbed over 20 times by boyfriend in apartment balcony killing: report," New York Post, October 16, 2025.
¹⁰ Ibid.
¹¹ "’If you leave me I’ll kill you’ becomes reality once again," IrishDentist.ie, October 15, 2025.
¹² "Femminicidio di Pamela Genini a Milano uccisa da Gianluca Soncin, la telefonata all’ex," Virgilio, October 15, 2025.
¹³ "Gianluca Soncin: chi è l’uomo che ha ucciso la fidanzata Pamela Genini con 24 coltellate," Today, October 15, 2025.
¹⁴ "Femminicidio Pamela Genini: le 24 coltellate, la chiamata all’ex e Glovo al citofono," Il Fatto Quotidiano, October 15, 2025.
¹⁵ "Chi è Gianluca Soncin, il 52enne accusato dell’omicidio di Pamela Genini," TGCOM24, October 15, 2025.
¹⁶ "Chi è Gianluca Soncin che ha ucciso Pamela Genini," Open, October 15, 2025.
¹⁷ "Femminicidio Pamela Genini – Chi è Gianluca Soncin," Il Fatto Quotidiano, October 16, 2025.
¹⁸ "Chi è Gianluca Soncin, l’uomo che ha ucciso la compagna Pamela Genini a Milano," Il Giornale, October 15, 2025.
¹⁹ "Chi è Gianluca Soncin che ha ucciso Pamela Genini," Open, October 15, 2025.
²⁰ "Femminicidio Pamela Genini – Chi è Gianluca Soncin," Il Fatto Quotidiano, October 16, 2025.
²¹ "’If you leave me I’ll kill you’ becomes reality once again," IrishDentist.ie, October 15, 2025.
²² Richard Pollina, "Italian model stabbed over 20 times by boyfriend in apartment balcony killing: report," New York Post, October 16, 2025.
²³ "Chi è Gianluca Soncin che ha ucciso Pamela Genini," Open, October 15, 2025.
²⁴ Richard Pollina, "Italian model stabbed over 20 times by boyfriend in apartment balcony killing: report," New York Post, October 16, 2025.
²⁵ "Partner stabs Pamela Genini, 29, 24 times and attempts suicide in Milan apartment," Mixvale, October 15, 2025.
²⁶ Ibid.
²⁷ Richard Pollina, "Italian model stabbed over 20 times by boyfriend in apartment balcony killing: report," New York Post, October 16, 2025.
²⁸ Ibid.
²⁹ "Chi era Pamela Genini, la ragazza di 29 anni uccisa a Milano dal compagno," TAG24, October 15, 2025.
³⁰ Richard Pollina, "Italian model stabbed over 20 times by boyfriend in apartment balcony killing: report," New York Post, October 16, 2025.
³¹ Ibid.
³² "Femminicidio Pamela Genini – Chi è Gianluca Soncin," Il Fatto Quotidiano, October 16, 2025.
³³ Ibid.
³⁴ Ibid.
³⁵ "Pamela Genini uccisa a coltellate dal compagno. ‘Glovo?’: il messaggio in codice," Mam-e, October 15, 2025.
