California Man Who Pretended to Be a Hollywood Film Producer Sentenced to Life for Killing Girlfriend and Baby Daughter in Rome

A California man who portrayed himself as a successful film producer has been sentenced to life in prison after an Italian court convicted him of murdering his girlfriend and their 11-month-old daughter, then abandoning their bodies in a public park in Rome. The shocking case involved multiple identities, a fabricated Hollywood career and a desperate international search for answers after the bodies of a young mother and her baby were discovered in separate locations.

Rexal Ford, 47, whose birth name was Francis Charles Kaufmann, was found guilty on November 5, 2026, of murdering 28-year-old Anastasia Trofimova and their infant daughter, Andromeda. The two victims were discovered in Rome’s Villa Pamphili park on June 7, 2025. Trofimova’s body was found concealed beneath a black bag, while the baby’s remains were located in nearby vegetation. Investigators determined that the mother had died several days before her daughter. Neither victim initially had identification, making the case particularly difficult for authorities to solve.

Prosecutors argued that Ford killed Trofimova first and later took the baby into the park. Surveillance footage reportedly showed him carrying the child into the area before returning approximately an hour later without her. Investigators pieced together evidence from security cameras, witness accounts, cellphone records and fingerprints found on a bag connected to the crime. The investigation eventually led authorities to the Greek island of Skiathos, where Ford was arrested after leaving Italy. He was subsequently extradited to face trial in Rome.

The case also exposed Ford’s complicated history of assumed identities and claims about his professional background. He had legally changed his name to Rexal Ford in 2019 and presented himself as a film producer with connections to major Hollywood projects. He reportedly used other identities, including Daniel R. Foster and Matteo Capozzi. In Italy, he obtained nearly $1 million in film tax credits for a movie project that was never produced. The scandal surrounding the funding eventually led to the resignation of a senior official in Italy’s Culture Ministry. Ford’s supposed connections to major stars and ambitious film projects helped him attract attention, even as he and his family reportedly struggled financially.

Throughout the criminal proceedings, Ford denied killing Trofimova and their daughter. His defense lawyer argued that the prosecution’s case relied heavily on circumstantial evidence and indicated that an appeal was likely. Ford was not present when the verdict was delivered. The court nevertheless convicted him of the double murder and concealing the victims’ bodies, sentencing him to life imprisonment with three years of daytime solitary confinement.

The tragedy has left behind a painful story of two lives lost and a case that captivated Italy for more than a year. Viewers of the television program Chi l’ha Visto?, which focuses on missing-person cases, helped investigators identify the victims by providing information after the discovery of their bodies. For Trofimova’s loved ones, the verdict brings a major development in the pursuit of justice, although the defense’s expected appeal means the legal proceedings may continue.