In 1913 Dennison, Ohio, jealousy, violence, and a desperate struggle turned a marriage deal into murder.
Antonio “Tony” Sinibaldi (1873-1913) was born in L’Aquila, San Benedetto dei Marsi, Italy, to Antonio Sinibaldi and Maria Ficcadehli. He grew up in Italy but as a young man decided to seek opportunities in America. Antonio immigrated to the United States in February 1902, arriving in New York City. After eight years working as a railroad laborer he found himself in Steubenville, Ohio. There he arranged with Giuseppe Sembiante to marry his attractive daughter Agnese Sembiante (1893-?), who was still in Italy.
The marriage took place after Agnese’s arrival in America in 1910. The couple then moved from Steubenville to Dennison, Ohio, where Antonio continued to work for the railroad and where they welcomed a daughter in August 1911. Accounts at the time reported that Agnese was a beautiful young woman and that Antonio was a controlling and jealous husband. The fact that they lived in shared accommodations in Dennison only exacerbated the tension between Antonio, Agnese, and their fellow boarders.
Postcard of San Benedetto dei Marsi, Italy, c. 1912. (Source: terramarsicane.it) 
Passenger list recording Antonio Sinibaldi’s arrival in New York, February 1902. (Source: ancestry.com) 
Passenger list recording Agnese Sembiante’s arrival in Boston, May 1910. (Source: familysearch.com) 
Record of the marriage of Antonio Sinibaldi and Agenes
On Sunday, July 20, 1913 witnesses claimed Antonio, consumed by jealousy, spent the day quarreling with Agnese, brandished weapons, and vowed to kill her before morning. That night, in dramatic fashion, he allegedly knelt before a crucifix, lit candles, and swore an oath to carry out the murder. Agnese, terrified and unable to sleep that night, later saw Antonio pull a revolver from beneath his pillow in order to do the deed.
Fearing for her life, Agnese grabbed Antonio’s arm as he aimed the weapon at her. In the struggle, he accidently fired a shot that grazed his face and stunned him. Agnese then wrestled with Antonio for control of the gun and managed to turn it toward his head. She was able to pull the trigger and the bullet struck Antonio fatally in the temple. Fellow boarders and neighbors rushed to the house after hearing the shot and found Agnese calm but shaken, asking them to call the police.
When authorities arrived they questioned Agnese and other witnesses and, through that questioning, learned that Antonio did not merely marry Agnese, he allegedly bought her from her parents. They learned of Antonio’s jealous streak, tinged with violence, that was perhaps worsened by the fact that he was seventeen years older than his young, attractive wife. Law enforcement, after they completed their brief investigation, concluded that Agnese acted in self-defense when she killed Antonio. No charges were filed against her.
Sometime after the shooting, Agnese returned to Italy with her young daughter and what happened to her there is difficult to determine. The Sinibaldi’s daughter married and later returned to the United States. She passed away in 1998 in California. Antonio Sinibaldi, the man who vowed to kill his beautiful young wife only to have it backfire, was buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Dennison, Ohio.
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© Noel B. Poirier, 2025.
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