American Rexal Ford gets life in Rome for killing partner and baby
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The gist
American Rexal Ford was convicted in Rome of murdering his Russian partner and their infant daughter and sentenced to life.
The case turned on a fake film-producer identity and a contested insanity claim.
Background
Rexal Ford is a 47-year-old American born Charles Francis Kaufmann, who legally changed his name in 2019 and presented himself as a film director or producer. His partner, 28-year-old Russian national Anastasia Trofimova, came from Siberia and met him in Malta during a vacation; their daughter Andromeda was born in June 2024 and the family later moved to Rome. Investigators took days to identify the victims and connect them to Kaufmann, who was travelling under the false identity of a film producer named Rexal Ford.
How it unfolded
- 2020Kaufmann secured a €863,595 ($996,112) tax credit from the Italian Ministry of Culture for a feature titled Stelle della Notte, which was never made.
- 2022In Malta he was known as Daniel R. Foster, with a British passport and Maltese residency papers to match.
- 2023According to the ministry of culture, he convinced the Italian Film Board to offer him nearly $1 million for a fake movie project, a scandal that led to a government official's resignation.
- Jun 7, 2025The naked bodies of Trofimova and Andromeda were found within hours of each other in Rome's Villa Pamphili park; a child on a jungle gym saw what she thought was a doll under the bushes.
- Jun 13, 2025He was arrested on the Greek island of Skiathos on suspicion of being the killer, in an operation involving Italian and Greek police and the FBI, and extradited to Italy.
- Feb 2026At the start of his double-murder trial he told the courtroom in English: "My name is Rexal Ford. I am not a killer. I am a film producer."
- May 2026In the psychiatric ward during a pause in his trial, Ford claimed to be "John Montgomery from England," said he was a spy and that others in the room were clones.
- Nov 5, 2026In Rome's Court d'Assise, Judge Paola Roja read the verdict convicting Ford of double homicide and concealment of a corpse and sentenced him to life with three years of solitary confinement; Ford was not present.
Key terms
- tax credit
- A tax incentive letting taxpayers subtract accrued credit amounts from what they owe the state, or a rebate for taxes already paid.
- Court d'Assise
- An Italian criminal court with two professional judges and six lay judges, handling the most serious crimes such as murder and terrorism.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Defence
- Defence lawyer Paolo Foti said he expected the verdict to be appealed, a standard practice in Italy where even small crimes get two appellate trials.
- Defendant
- Ford maintained across multiple interviews before and during his trial that he had nothing to do with the killings.
- Court
- A court-appointed consultant deemed Ford had improved and was likely "faking psychosis," after the court had allowed him to be hospitalized for a "brief psychiatric condition."
Still unverified
Ford claimed to be "John Montgomery from England," said he was a spy and that other people in the room were clones; a court-appointed consultant deemed him likely "faking psychosis." Ford has denied committing the killings.