Brindisi, 20 March (AKI) - A retired man with a history of mental illness in southern Italy killed his wife because he thought she was possessed by the devil.

The 75-year-old former state worker in the town of Mesagne early Monday shot his 77-year-old spouse in the head with a hunting rifle and spent the day with the body until his cousin discovered the crime around eight hours later and reported it to the police.

"Don't touch anything, it's all contaminated," he said when the police arrived to the crime scene.

The police near the city of Brindisi in the Puglia region found a letter written by the suspect in which he describes the possessed state of his wife.