Andrea Volpe, the presumed leader of the Beasts of Satan, became the pivotal focus of the investigation later on. A 2004 issue of The New York Times reported about how Volpe (who was 27 at the time of his arrest and conviction) and a group of his friends would often congregate to play music together, but things took a turn for the worst when evidence of sadistic foul play began to surface — foul play that involved “drug-fueled Satanic sacrifices.” Along with other members of the group, like Mario Maccione and his band Ferocity, the troubled troupe of young adults would later earn their namesake after it was confirmed that they’d murdered at least three individuals, one of whom they reportedly buried alive (per All That’s Interesting).
“The Beasts of Satan and their friends are also suspected of encouraging the suicide of a former associate. Drugs are known to have figured prominently in their activities and it is not clear whether they did more than flirt with black magic,” The Guardian reported following the trial. The truth of the matter would start to unspool itself when Andrea Volpe, Pietro Guerrieri, and other BOS affiliates were made to answer for their crimes years after they’d been carried out. Perhaps it was a case of misguided frustration, or perhaps there was something deep-seated in each of them that was indicative of a sickness beyond reckoning. Tragically, innocent blood would be shed before these questions could be properly answered.
