365个英语简短小故事- 35. Four Slit Throats

（单词翻译）

An Italian couple murdered four people in the house next door. They slit¹ the throats of their neighbor, Maria Como, and her mom. Then they slit the throats of Mrs. Como's 2-year-old little boy, Perry, and a woman who just happened to be visiting. Finally, they set the house on fire! This all happened two weeks before Christmas.

The couple had complained constantly² to the Comos about the noise they caused, but no one else in the neighborhood seemed to think that the Comos were noisy.

"Maria was a kind and quiet person," said one of her neighbors. "She and her husband used to push little Perry around the neighborhood in his stroller. They were friendly to everyone. I can't believe this happened."

Police in the northern Italian town could not believe it either. A spokesman³ said that never in the history of Italy had a married couple worked as a team to slice four neighbors' throats and then try to burn their house down!

"I think if they claim temporary insanity⁴, everyone will believe it!" said the spokesman.

After firemen found the four bodies, the couple calmly confessed⁵ to the police.