Breaking Bad obsessed banker GUILTY of murdering Grindr date cop and dissolving body in acid
Web developer Stefano Brizzi, 50, killed PC Gordon Semple, 59, after meeting him through the gay dating app Grindr
A CANNIBAL convicted of murdering a cop and dissolving his remains in a bath of acid believed he was the devil, it emerged yesterday.
Satanist Stefano Brizzi, 50, strangled PC Gordon Semple after meeting him on the gay cruising app Grindr.
The Old Bailey heard Brizzi also boiled and roasted parts of Gordon’s body and attempted to eat them with chopsticks at his flat in Southwark, South London.
Police were called by neighbours to foul smells coming from the address six days after Gordon, 59, from Inverness, vanished in April.
Brizzi, dressed in sunglasses and pink underpants, opened the door to two female officers.
They found an acid-filled bath with flesh floating in it and a bucket with Gordon’s head inside.
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Brizzi, a former Morgan Stanley merchant bank computer programmer, told the officers that Satan had ordered him to kill.
However, he later changed his story and said Gordon had died accidentally after a leash round his neck slipped during bondage sex.
Brizzi said he dumped some body parts in the Thames and others in bins at his block of flats.
Jurors heard how Gordon liked to starve himself of oxygen during sex and swapped messages with Brizzi about masks and gags.
The court also heard the pair invited other men on Grindr to join them in a “chemsex” orgy.
But Brizzi told one caller: “We’re having a situation here. Someone fell ill but we’re taking care of it. So our party is cancelled.”
The jury found him guilty of murder by a majority of ten to two after 30 hours and 46 minutes.
Brizzi, who earlier admitted obstructing a coroner by dismembering Gordon’s body, did not show any emotion as he was convicted.
Recorder of London Judge Nicholas Hilliard adjourned sentencing until a later date.
Gordon lived with partner of 25 years Gary Meeks in Greenhithe, Kent, although colleagues did not know he was gay.
One pal said: “Gordon was a very likeable, social and outgoing character.”
Met Police Det Chief Supt Peter Ayling said Brizzi’s “cold, calculated actions are so grotesque they are beyond comprehension”.
Gordon’s family said in a statement: “It is still insurmountably upsetting.
“Gordon will be sadly missed, may you rest in peace.”
A former City worker with an interest in Satan and an obsession with Breaking Bad
Stefano Brizzi is a former £70,000-a-year web developer for financial giant Morgan Stanley.
The 50-year-old Italian national said he had to quit his job in February 2015 because of his crystal meth use – but believed he could kick the habit and return to the job market.
The court heard the Italian said he had visited a psychiatrist and a psychologist in 2015 after leaving his job.
He told police: “I lost my job, cos’ I had a job but I wasn’t able to keep the job because I was constantly high on drugs. I had a job but I lost that job.”
The former web developer said he tried to visit a psychologist and a crystal meth support group but claimed: “The problem with that is the psychologist says crystal meth caused psychosis, I was raised Catholic, being gay was evil. And the devil… so I’ve been into Satan.”
Brizzi – who lived in South London – had been trying to persuade other gay men in the area to join them for a ‘Chemsex’ party, jurors heard.
He is believed to have been living a “nocturnal” lifestyle after quitting his job in the months before the alleged murder.
The drug addict also had a copy of the Satanic bible downloaded onto his computer as well as a notebook with handwritten notes to the devil, jurors heard.
But Brizzi claimed in court earlier this week that he had an intellectual interest in Satanism, but denied being a follower of the religion.
He says that a knife found with four black candles under his bed was a letter opener given to him by his father, while the candles were tools for meditation.
But he has described himself as ‘hostile to Christianity’ saying: ‘I hope I have the right to have my views’.
Brizzi admitted in court being inspired by cult TV show Breaking Bad to try and dissolve Semple’s body in acid.
He says he panicked and decided to chop up PC Semple's body, dissolve it in a bathtub full of acid and throw some parts in the River Thames.
Brizzi was obsessed with Breaking Bad and wore the show's t-shirt to meetings of crystal meth addicts, jurors heard.
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