Man admits to eating landlord's heart following dispute over chess move

An Italian man was arrested in Dublin on Sunday and charged with killing his Irish landlord and attempting to eat his heart after an argument about a game of chess.

Police said that 34-year-old Saverio Bellante admitted to killing Tom O’Gorman, 39.

O’Gormans body had been stabbed dozens of times and his chest cavity was opened up. Although the heart was still in his body, a lung was missing.

According to a source with knowledge of the situation, it’s unclear if O’Gorman was dead before Bellante mutilated his body.

"The victim's heart was intact but the post-mortem confirms that a lung was removed from the body and has not been located,” the source said. "The investigation is following a definite line of inquiry."

At his arraignment on Monday, Bellante requested to represent himself and offered no plea. According to Det. Patrick Traynor, when Bellante was charged with murder, he replied: “I am guilty.”

The argument allegedly occurred over a move in a chess game that Bellante and O'Gorman had been playing for a year.

[The Globe and Mail] [Belfast Telegraph]