The murder of Beverly Puccio by Michael Piantieri is featured in the latest episode of The Murder Tapes on Investigation Discovery.
At around 11:20 pm on December 3, 2017, officers with the Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a home in the 900 block of High Bluff Street in Dubuque, Iowa, after receiving a 911 call from Piantieri who claimed to have found Puccio dead in her bedroom.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found the 42-year-old on her bed, covered in blood.
There was also blood smeared throughout the home.
Piantieri, then 36, was later arrested and charged with first-degree murder. He was booked into the Dubuque County Jail on a $1 million bond.
His arrest came after an investigation revealed that he met Puccio at Walnut Tap on 909 Walnut Street. They then left and headed to a local bar. A surveillance camera captured Puccio and Piantieri getting into a cab around 8 pm, and the vehicle was last seen heading towards Puccio’s home.
Investigators believe that once Puccio and Piantieri arrived at her house, they got into an argument that escalated to a physical altercation, which resulted in injuries that led to Puccio’s death.
During the interrogation, detectives noticed that Piantieri had injuries consistent with a fight.
After the murder, Piantieri called his girlfriend to pick him up. His girlfriend told police that he later returned to the scene to remove bloody items, which he destroyed at their home in a fire pit.
When they searched Piantieri’s house, they found evidence linking him to the murder, including a blood-stained shoe matching the shoe that was found at Puccio’s home.
As a part of a plea deal, Piantieri pled guilty to second-degree murder in April 2018. He was later sentenced to life in prison with an additional 70 days for tampering with a witness.
The Murder Tapes — Don’t Go In There, airs at 10/9c on Investigation Discovery.