Vatican murders
The Vatican murders occurred on 4 May 1998, when Swiss Guard lance corporal Cédric Tornay, using his service pistol, shot and killed the commander of the Swiss Guard, Alois Estermann, and Estermann's wife, Gladys Meza Romero, in Vatican City, before killing himself. The murder happened the same day that Estermann was confirmed in his position as commander, after a period of being acting commander. Estermann, as the acting commander of the guard, had disciplined Tornay for infractions; as a result, he rejected Tornay for the Benemerenti medal, which Swiss Guards usually receive. Prior to the crime, Tornay wrote a suicide note to his family complaining about Estermann and the supposed injustices he had inflicted against him.
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