American Sentenced to Life for Rome Partner and Daughter’s Murders

On November 5, a Rome court convicted American Francis Kaufmann of killing his partner, Anastasia Trofimova, and their daughter, Andromeda. Kaufmann, 47, received a life sentence, with three years in solitary confinement. He denied the killings.

The victims’ bodies were discovered in Villa Pamphili park on June 7, 2025. Trofimova, 28, had been dead for several days, while the child was nearly a year old. Neither had identification, and investigators took days to establish who they were and connect them to Kaufmann.

Kaufmann was arrested on the Greek island of Skiathos on June 13, 2025, and later extradited to Italy. He had used the name Rexal Ford and presented himself as a filmmaker. His lawyer, Paolo Foti, asked the court to acquit him, arguing that the evidence was insufficient to prove he committed the murders.

Kaufmann had also obtained Italian film tax credits for a movie that was never produced. One report put the credit at €863,595, or about $996,112; the case prompted the resignation of the Culture Ministry’s film department chief.