The Senegalese immigrant who was charged Thursday with murdering an American artist in Florence is the brother of the city’s top club promoter, The Post has learned.
DNA that matched Cheik Tidiane Diaw, who came to Italy illegally a few months ago, was found on a condom and cigarette inside Ashley Olsen’s Florence apartment, Italian prosecutors said at a press conference.
They believe the two met at a shady, members-only drug den called Montecarla last Thursday night and later went back to her pad to have sex.
“Then he probably slammed her head against something, twice fracturing her skull, and then strangled her,” Florence Prosecutor Giuseppe Creazza said Thursday.
An American living in Florence for the past decade told The Post that he’s met Diaw several times through his brother, Abraham, who works as the main club promoter in the city.
“He worked in the clubs, usually in the VIP sections. He would organize the VIP tables for his brother,” the longtime resident said. “He always was very courteous.”
He’s not sure how the accused murderer wound up at Montecarla, which he described as the “after-, after-, afterparty” place where scantily dressed women serve coke on platters to patrons.
“His brother, who took care of him, would not allow his brother to do those type of things,” he said.
Italian police have surveillance video that shows Diaw leaving 35-year-old Olsen’s apartment and he allegedly confessed to the grisly murder while in police custody, saying that it was an accident, according to NBC News.
Creazza also squashed rumors that Olsen was killed in a “sex game gone wrong,” which was how many believe British student Meredith Kercher was murdered. Amanda Knox, an American student studying in Perugia at the time, was charged with her death along with her boyfriend. They were both later cleared amid much controversy.
Olsen was found naked and lifeless on her bed on Jan. 9 by her boyfriend, Federico Fiorentini.
The two had gotten into a fight and he hadn’t heard from her in a few days, so he went to her apartment to check on her. When no one answered, he got the landlord to let him in.
Police are still awaiting toxicology results, which they said could take up to two weeks, to determine whether Olsen had any drugs or alcohol in her system.