A man is believed to have shot his wife dead early on Monday before turning the gun on himself in the town of Santa Maria Capua Vetere north of Naples, according to police.
Police said they went to the couple's apartment after receiving an emergency call and found them dead in their bedroom. Lying beside the man was a pistol which investigators believe he used to kill his wife before committing suicide.
The couple were named by police as former security guard Franco Sorbo, 48, and Teresa Cotugno, 50.
Police found Sorbo lying at the foot of the couple's bed with a single gunshot wound to his temple, while they found Cotugno lying on the bed. She had also been shot in the head.
Investigators said the motive for the apparent homicide-suicide was not immediately clear. Police said they had no record of alleged domestic violence or stalking.
However Naples daily Il Mattino reported the couple had marital problems and Cotugno wanted to leave Sorbo. He had allegedly threatened to kill her if she left him, the paper said.
The couple's 20-year-old daughter called the fire brigade after she came home in the early hours of Monday after a night out with friends and found the family apartment door locked with the keys on the inside, according to Il Mattino.
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