Serial killer guilty of murdering IT worker he met on hook-up app before torching his flat

A man who posed as a police officer before killing an IT worker he met on a hook-up app and setting fire to his flat has been found guilty of murder and arson.

Jason Marshall, 28, bound and gagged Peter Fasoli, 58, while dressed as a policeman as part of a sex game before suffocating the IT worker with cling-film at his London home in January 2013.

Marshall, of East Ham, then set fire to the property in Northolt to cover up the crime, before going on to kill a second man and attempt to kill a third in Italy in the weeks after.

Mr Fasoli’s death was thought to have been a tragic accident for two years until his nephew discovered footage of the killing on his computer hard-drive.

Grisly footage recorded over six hours showed Mr Fasoli being terrorised by Marshall and begging for his life before being suffocated with cling-film.

An initial post-mortem found that Mr Fasoli died as a result of smoke inhalation. A re-examination found he was still alive when the fire was started, but that prior restraint and asphyxia also contributed to his death.

Marshall – who is already serving 16 years in prison in Italy for the second and third attacks – was found guilty of murder and arson by a jury at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, amid criticism that the police missed vital opportunities to apprehend him before he went on to kill again.

As well as failing to uncover the recording of the killing on Mr Fasoli’s computer hard-drive, the original investigation failed to spot that the IT expert’s bank cards were used after his death.

Meanwhile, the investigation into the cause of the fire at Mr Fasoli’s home concluded that it may have been caused by a faulty lightbulb above his bed, despite the fact the light-switch was discovered in the ‘off’ position.

Veteran gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell has led criticism of the police’s handling of the case, drawing parallels with the investigation into serial killer Stephen Port, who was last year found guilty of the murder of four men he met on online by injecting them with lethal doses of ‘chemsex’ drug GHB.

Tatchell said he was “shocked” that the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) had not launched an investigation, despite the key pieces of evidence being missed by officers.

“This case has echoes of the serial killing of gay men by Stephen Port and of the way the police failed to investigate those killings properly,” Tatchell siad in a statement. “Officers appear to have not checked Fasoli’s mobile phone, computer, bank transactions and the CCTV at his flat.

“If they had done these checks, they would have quickly discovered suspicious evidence, including a computer file that recorded hours of torture and eventual murder.”

He added: “This is yet another instance where a murdered gay man has been let down by the authorities. Shockingly, it took the dead man’s nephew to uncover the fact that he was murdered.

“Fasoli’s killing is just the latest example of an isolated, vulnerable gay man being murdered by a predator using datings apps. It is a wake call to men who hook up online.”

After travelling to Italy following Mr Fasoli’s murder, Marshall went on to strangle Vincenzo Iale, 67, to death in his home with an electrical flex before making off with his bank card on 26 January, 2013.

Just over a week later, he attacked another man he met for sex while posing as a British embassy official. He demanded cash from Umberto Gismondi, 54, but fled after the victim managed to alert his neighbours.

In July 2014, Marshall was convicted by an Italian court of the murder of Mr Iale and attempted murder of Mr Gismondi. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison.

Marshall was remanded in custody on Wednesday (August 9) to be sentenced at a later date.

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