Don’t Torture a Duckling

A Rome journalist who arrives in Accendura and partners with Patrizia to uncover the truth behind the killings. He is observant, skeptical of superstition, and drawn to the human drama in a village marked by fear and rumor. His investigation drives the plot as he navigates village loyalties and moral judgments.

A former Milan reporter living in the village, she faces ostracism for her cosmopolitan ways. She exudes a modern, provocative presence that unsettles the locals and complicates her relationship with Andrea. Her ambiguous behavior and past scandals make her a suspect and ally at once.

A reclusive Gypsy witch rumored to practice black magic and connected to the murders. She confesses under duress but seems to believe only in her dolls’ magic, not physical methods. Her brutal treatment by the crowd exposes the danger of scapegoating the innocent.

A respected local priest who oversees the boys’ group. He ultimately murders the children not to condemn their sins, but to prevent them from sinning as they grow up, revealing a chilling moral code. His clash with Andrea culminates in a fatal confrontation.

Alberto's mother and the keeper of a six-year-old deaf-mute daughter, Malvina. She disappears with her daughter, prompting Andrea and Patrizia to intervene. Her character embodies maternal concern and the tension between family loyalty and the town’s dark secrets.

An eccentric hermit who practices black magic and is rumored to have had a child with Maciara. He represents occult knowledge in the village and is both a suspect and a source of rumors the investigation must weigh.

A simple local who is arrested for Bruno’s ransom incident but is later exonerated when Bruno’s body is found; his arrest highlights how fear and rumor can frame justice in a small town.

Bruno's father, a village figure who embodies the domestic tension and protective yet sometimes harsh attitudes of small-town life.

Bruno’s mother, whose reactions reflect the community’s heartbreak and concern for the missing child and the impact of the murders on families.