Saturday night ended with a tragic and mysterious event Messinawhere Michele Lanfranchi, 19, was found dead under suspicious circumstances.
His body lay in a pool of blood on the sidewalk of Via Michelangelo Rizzo, in the suburban neighborhood of Giostra, known for its history of crime linked to drug dealing and extortion.
Lanfranchi, found with a pistol in his right hand and a 7.65 caliber cartridge case next to him, had a fatal wound to his jugular. Despite the immediate intervention of state police officers and 118 personnel, the rescue efforts were useless.
The Messina prosecutor’s office, coordinated by deputy prosecutor Liliana Todaro, has launched a complex investigation, with the flying squad investigators not ruling out any hypothesis: from accident to murder, while the idea of suicide seems unlikely.
Lanfranchi’s life was already marked by judicial precedents for drug dealing and property crimes. During the last evening with his friends, he had proudly displayed the weapon, an element that now takes on sinister contours in light of events. Friends present were interrogated and tested for gunpowder residue.
In addition to the analysis of the fingerprints and the ballistics report, the autopsy will be fundamental to clarify the dynamics and exact cause of the death of Lanfranchi, who would have turned 20 in July.
Described as eccentric and friendly, Michele is remembered with pain and disbelief by his friends. The testimonies on social media speak of a boy full of life, a “beautiful angel” torn away from life too soon, leaving an unbridgeable void among those who knew him.
The Messina community now awaits answers, hoping that the light of justice can shed light on this fateful night, marking a moment of reflection on the violence that too often affects young people in difficult urban contexts.
