Francesco Liotti did you return fire to defend yourself from the ambush suffered in via Visconti on 20 August 2020? This is the central question of the trial underway at the Collegiate Court of Avellino, presided over by judge Gian Piero Scarlato. Liotti, defended by the lawyer Costantino Sabatino, was sent to trial for illegal possession of a weapon, with the aggravating circumstance of mafia method. The investigations, similar to those of the trial that led to the conviction of Danilo Volzone, were conducted by the Avellino Flying Squad under the leadership of the deputy anti-mafia prosecutor Ida Frongillo. Two detectives involved in the investigation were called to testify by the anti-mafia prosecutor.
The reconstruction of the facts
Two reports reconstructed the events that occurred between the night of 19 August 2020 and 12 noon on 20 August, between Rione Aversa and Via Visconti, an area that became the scene of shootings in a few hours. Part of the story was reconstructed through telephone interceptions as part of a drug investigation against Volzone, as explained in court by an investigator.
The anti-mafia prosecutor asked how it emerged that Liotti had a gun at the time of the ambush. “In fact, on August 20, 2020, in Via Visconti, Liotti was injured in the face,” the investigator declared. The crucial question was whether Liotti had a weapon. “From the testimonies collected,” he added, “it appears that a rescuer, who had accompanied Liotti to his sister Sonia, confirmed the presence of a weapon.”
The accusation against Danilo Volzone
During the investigations, the alleged perpetrator of the attempted murder was identified, Danilo Volzone, sentenced to 14 years with a sentence recently annulled by the Supreme Court. The investigations were mainly based on technical activities. “The wiretaps were already underway,” explained the investigator, “authorized by the Avellino Prosecutor’s Office for drug crimes in another proceeding. They were useful because Danilo Volzone, before and after the criminal event, contacted the person who had lent him the car. There is also an interception from the previous night which recorded some excitement among the Volzone brothers. Angelo Volzone’s car had been hit by gunfire. We seized the car on the 21st during the searches.”
There are no direct wiretaps on Francesco Liotti, but the reconstruction of the facts is based on wiretaps relating to the main proceedings. It emerged, again from the wiretaps, that on the evening of the ambush, around 8.22pm on 20 August 2020, a family member of Liotti, on board a motorcycle, reached the nearby Rione Aversa to shoot at a Volzone property. This story was confirmed by a telephone interception in September 2020 between a convicted drug dealer from Avellino and a prisoner involved in the raid against the Nuovo Clan Partenio. The next hearing is set for December 10.
