Who was Linda Campitelli? Mother reveals how Florida nurse was brutally beaten to death with a ‘tire iron’

The mother of Florida nurse Linda Campitelli has revealed chilling new details about her daughter’s killing, alleging she was beaten to death with a ‘tire iron’ during a planned birthday meeting with a former colleague. “What kind of human does that? Animals don’t even do that,” Edina Russo, Campitelli’s mother, told The Daily Mail.

Campitelli, a married mother of two, was found dead in October 2024, just 50 feet away from her husband’s car. Authorities allege that Rene Perez, her married former co-worker, killed her during an intimate birthday enounter he had arranged.

Russo said her daughter was beaten "to death with a tire iron." Russo said she was unaware of any extramarital relationship involving her daughter at the time of her death. She added that while Campitelli and her husband, Jon Campitelli, were facing marital difficulties, he “adored” their two daughters and remained committed to resolving their issues through marriage counseling.


'I had no idea any of this was going on. She and her husband were in marriage counseling,' Russo revealed to the outlet. “What she did was awful…but my daughter didn’t kill anyone,” she added.

Perez, 38, was arrested in Miami on Tuesday, March 10, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

Who was Linda Campitelli?

Linda Marie Campitelli was the 35-year-old Florida-based registered nurse who was allegedly killed by her lover in her husband’s SUV. Born on October 14, 1989, in Miami, she earned a full academic scholarship to the University of Miami, where she completed her health science degree before pursuing an accelerated nursing program.

A devoted mother of two daughters and wife to Jon Campitelli, she was known for her dedication both at work and at home. As per palmswestfuneralhome, Campitelli was later accepted into an advanced nursing program at Nova Southeastern University and was preparing to start a new role at a Cleveland Clinic facility.

Described by family and friends as kind, driven, and full of life, she balanced a demanding medical career with an active family life, often spending her time supporting her children and enjoying outdoor activities and travel.