Italian guitarist stabbed, allegedly for 'sounding evil'
Last Updated: Friday, December 12, 2008 | 11:32 AM ET
CBC News
A 16-year-old guitarist with Italian gothic metal band Soul Cry is in hospital after bandmates allegedly stabbed him for not playing well enough.
Police in Genoa say they have arrested the band's 18-year-old female singer and her 16-year-old brother.
The singer has been charged with attempted murder.
Police official Alessandra Bucci told Italian media on Friday the victim had been stabbed about 50 times, mainly in the back and head.
The attack occurred after a rehearsal in Sestri Ponente, a town near Genoa, in which other band members accused him of playing poorly. The singer allegedly told the guitarist he was "sounding evil."
Bucci said a threatening letter, saying "I'm preparing a nice little funeral for you," was sent to the victim just days before the stabbing.
The victim is recovering in hospital, but his life is not in danger.
"The motive — absurd as that is — is apparently that the way my client played his instrument did not satisfy the two," said Giuseppe Maria Muscolo, a lawyer for the victim.
The lead singer said she was trying to stop the victim from committing suicide, but then refused to co-operate with investigators, police said. Her lawyer claims she cannot remember the incident.
