Man arrested over wife and mother-in-law's murder

A 53-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of strangling his wife and battering to death his mother-in-law near the northern city of Modena on Monday.

After seven hours of questioning by police, Francesco Grieco confessed to killing his wife Francesca Marchi, 52, and his 92-year-old mother-in-law, Irene Tabaroni, at the family's villa in Gorghetto di Bomporto.

Grieco told police he had been under a lot of stress at work and in his personal life and had flown into an uncontrollable rage and attacked the two women.

Police discovered Marchi and Tabaroni' bodies lying on their beds after Grieco called emergency services late on Monday.

Tabaroni's skull had been smashed in with a sharp object, while Marchi, an elementary school teacher, showed signs of strangulation.