Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
PAVIA – A judicial turning point 19 years after the murder of Chiara Poggi on 13 August 2007 in Garlasco. The Pavia Public Prosecutor’s Office, led by prosecutor Fabio Napoleone, has submitted to the preliminary hearing judge a request for Andrea Sempio, 38, to stand trial on a charge of aggravated murder.
Alberto Stasi was previously convicted of the same crime and sentenced to 16 years in prison, a ruling now final. However, the new investigation by prosecutors attributes the murder to Sempio.
The prosecution’s reconstruction and the alleged aggravating factors
In the charge sheet drawn up by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the dynamics of the attack inside the Garlasco home are reconstructed. According to the prosecution, Sempio attacked the victim after she rejected a sexual advance:
- First assault: after an initial scuffle, the woman was allegedly struck repeatedly with a blunt object on the forehead and right cheekbone.
- Dragging: after she fell to the floor and tried to crawl away, she was allegedly struck again and dragged towards the cellar door.
- Fatal blows: sliding the body down the stairs and delivering a further 4-5 blows to the back of the skull while she was already unconscious.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed two aggravating factors: acting with cruelty (due to the number and severity of the injuries, at least 12 to the skull and face) and for despicable motives, linked to the hatred that arose after the sexual rejection.
Sempio’s defence: “Ready to prove innocence”
Through his lawyers, Liborio Cataliotti and Angela Taccia, Andrea Sempio said he is ready to face the trial phase:
“I am ready to face this stage of the proceedings before the preliminary hearing judge, convinced that my innocence will be proven.”
— Andrea Sempio
The defence also announced its intention to ask the judge to suspend the proceedings once the date for the preliminary hearing is set, pending the outcome of the appeal for a retrial in Alberto Stasi’s case.
Stasi’s lawyers: “The conclusion of a serious investigation”
Alberto Stasi’s lawyers, Giada Bocellari and Antonio De Rensis, reacted differently, calling the Pavia Public Prosecutor’s Office request the only coherent conclusion to the evidence gathered:
“The request for Andrea Sempio to stand trial marks a decisive step in a serious and thorough investigation conducted by the Pavia Public Prosecutor’s Office. We hope that Sempio’s defence will now focus on the charges rather than attacking Alberto Stasi personally.”
— Giada Bocellari and Antonio De Rensis, Alberto Stasi’s lawyers
The decision on whether to open the trial now rests with the preliminary hearing judge of the Pavia Court once the schedule is set.
