Charles Francis Kaufmann, 46, went by the name Rexal Ford and claimed to be an American film producer. He had been living in Rome with a woman and a baby girl he called his daughter. On June 13, he was arrested on the Greek island of Skiathos, just days after the bodies of the woman and the infant were discovered in the underbrush of Villa Pamphili, one of the Italian capital’s most treasured public parks.
Now, two critical elements have emerged in the investigation: Kaufmann’s criminal record in the United States and the conclusions drawn by an Italian judge in the pretrial detention order.
According to communications between the FBI and Italian judicial officials, Kaufmann has been arrested at least five times in the U.S. for domestic violence and assault. In one case, he served 120 days in jail for assault with a deadly weapon that left the victim seriously injured. The incidents date back to before he arrived in Europe, where he had been living under a false identity using a legitimate U.S. passport issued under an assumed name.
The ten-page detention order, signed by Roman investigating judge Flavia Costantini, describes Kaufmann as a man of “elevated criminal capacity” and “persistent intent to carry out a criminal plan.” According to the judge, he stood by as his partner died, made no attempt to call for help, then hid her body and destroyed her clothes in what appeared to be a deliberate attempt to hinder identification and mislead investigators.
As for the infant, who is believed to have been his daughter, the judge speaks of “inherent brutality in the act of strangulation.” The child was found naked and partially concealed in dense vegetation, which investigators interpret as a further attempt to obscure any direct connection to the crime. Kaufmann never reported either woman or child missing. He quietly left Italy soon after the events.
The judge cites Kaufmann’s “inability to control violent impulses,” especially toward “vulnerable and defenseless individuals, such as a baby likely under the age of one,” as a significant cause for concern. While he is currently only charged in connection with the child’s death, investigators have not ruled out a second homicide. A final autopsy report on the woman is still pending.
Italy has filed a formal request for his extradition. Kaufmann, through his attorneys, is reportedly seeking to return to the United States instead. The decision now rests with the Greek judiciary.
