An Italian judge upheld the arrest of the suspect allegedly responsible for the murder of American artist Ashley Olsen, legal representatives of the suspect confirmed.
Antonio Voce, lawyer of Cheik Tidiane Diaw, the Senegalese man involved in the murder of Ashley Olsen, said Judge Matteo Zanobini ruled that Diaw will remain in jail after a closed-door hearing in Florence on Saturday.
A suspect is in custody in the murder of #AshleyOlsen. How strong is the case against him? https://t.co/iHM8ZXmqNe pic.twitter.com/KoQUoB5KhF
— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) January 15, 2016
Diaw has been accused of aggravated homicide but no formal charges have been pressed against the suspect.
Olsen, 35, an American artist, was discovered dead in her apartment by her worried boyfriend, who came to her home to check on her.
Autopsy finding revealed that the victim sustained skull fractures and was strangled to death. Witnesses said they saw Ashley Olsen and Diaw together at a Florence nightclub on the night before Olsen’s killing. Surveillance videos showed the two headed towards the artist’s apartment.
Autopsy of 35-year-old American Ashley Olsen reveals she was strangled in Florence, Italy https://t.co/dSptfpd8ey pic.twitter.com/T9hV5eOK2v
— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) January 12, 2016
Furthermore, authorities believe that Olsen and Diaw were both under the influence of alcohol and likely, drugs as well. According to initial investigations, Ashley Olsen was killed after the two had sex, which the prosecutors maintained was consensual.
Lab analyses are expected to verify what substances Olsen had consumed. Voce also revealed that Diaw had confessed to investigators that he and the American artist consumed “a lot of cocaine and a lot of alcohol.”
Voce added that during the hearing, the suspect said that he used the victim’s telephone to call for help and denied ever strangling Olsen. Diaw allegedly pushed Ashley Olsen during a fight, adding she was still alive when he left.
Cheik Tidiane Diaw’s DNA was found on a condom and cigarette in Ashley Olsen’s Florence apartment https://t.co/ZGhtPHibLr
— New York Post (@nypost) January 14, 2016
Italian police arrested him after finding his DNA in a condom and cigarette butt in Olsen’s apartment.
Ashley Olsen funeral: family and friends mourn loss of murder victim in Florence https://t.co/foMXTkOZ0t
— The Guardian (@guardian) January 15, 2016
On Sunday, a memorial was held for Ashley Olsen, where her family and friends gathered to say their goodbyes. Olsen moved to Italy two years ago to be with her father who is a professor at a local design school. Her remains were buried in Italy instead of the US as the case is still in progress.