The family of Alessia Pifferi asks for 350 thousand euros in compensation for Diana’s death. It is the day of the indictment and, perhaps, of the first degree sentence. The civil parties are aggressive, after the finger has been pointed several times at them for alleged shortcomings: they deny justifications for what the accused did, that is, leaving the little girl alone for 6 days Diana Pifferi18 months old, died of starvation on 20 July 2022. Alleged shortcomings which are instead highlighted by the defence.
The civil parties
“We are faced with conduct of a voluntary nature – began the plaintiff’s lawyer Emanuele De Mitri – to a chilling case in which responsibility is clear following rock-solid evidence, never undermined by the results of the investigation. In this trial there is only one truth: Alessia Pifferi is guilty of the murder of little Diana, she knew very well that abandoning her daughter in that way would have caused her death”.
De Mitri looks after the interests of Maria Assandri And Viviana Pifferi, Alessia’s mother and sister respectively. She was the one who pointed out her family, speaking of an alleged delay that was allegedly kept secret from her and of an alleged sexual abuse by a friend of her father. But the psychiatric report recognized Alessia Pifferi as capable of understanding and wanting, as well as being characterized by alexithymia, or lack of empathy. De Mitri takes a step forward and talks about lust, calling the accused into question: “She was a presumptuous woman, she was a lustful woman who followed the body’s appetite. There is no responsibility of the family, Maria and Viviana could never have thought that Alessia Pifferi would abandon her daughter“.
“In this room there was not a single element in his favor – added De Mitri – We have witnessed attempts to justify homicidal conduct, petty commedia dell’arte attempts and serious attempts to denigrate the family of origin: it is false that the mother and sister abandoned her. He betrayed little Diana, he betrayed her body despite telling us that he lives for her. Alessia Pifferi has accepted the only possible outcome: death”. As an alternative to compensation of 200 thousand for the mother and 150 thousand euros for the sister, the lawyer asked for 100 thousand euros for each as compensation provisional. De Mitri also asked not to grant the generic extenuating circumstances.
The defence
The defendant’s lawyer instead highlights the alleged shortcomings, Alessia Pontenaniwho asked for acquittal, underlining how Alessia Pifferi would be “grew up in abandonment and neglect“, in other words it would have become a “little girl in need of love to the point of becoming dangerous”.
“If I had to take the black rag off my shoulders I would say that Alessia Pifferi is a monster, who did a terrible and terrible thing – commented Pontenani – […] Alessia Pifferi has never caused problems, she is not psychotic, she is a girl who grew up in absolute moral and cultural isolation, but she has never caused problems, otherwise we wouldn’t be here”. Pontenani recalled the circumstances under which Alessia Pifferi would have left his studies at 15 years old, or to look after his mother after an accident, and as for various reasons he would not have “never worked a day in his life”.
“I don’t believe that Alessia Pifferi is a person totally capable of understanding and wanting – added Pontenani, who has always disagreed with the results of the psychiatric assessment – When experts asked him what could happen to the little girl, he replied that she could fall from the cot, she hears voices, she smells smells that no one can smell, she was the victim of sexual violence, she didn’t go to school, she has a cognitive and psychomotor deficit, she lived without a work, in conditions of extreme poverty”.
Pontenani is pushing for the accused – for whom a life sentence has been requested – to be recognized as generic mitigating factors: “She cannot understand the difference between murder by stabbing and murder by omission. She keeps repeating that she didn’t kill her daughter. Therefore I believe it is necessary to recognize the generic extenuating circumstances. I leave Alessia and Diana, both unfortunate people, in your hands so that they truly receive justice”.
The lawyer underlined how there would have been no willfulness in committing the murder, but it would be another crime, i.e abandonment of a minor. “He committed that crime several times – concluded Pontenani – when she went to the supermarket without the baby, the first weekend, the second weekend, and that damn week. She wasn’t cowardly enough to leave her”.
The prosecutor’s reply
No mitigating circumstances and maximum punishment: this is what the prosecutor requested Francesco De Tommasiwho reported that Alessia Pifferi is “been described as a victim, an idea hovers in this debate of which we have evidence to the contrary. Alessia Pifferi has no deficit, no expert opinion proves it”. The prosecutor rejected all the testimonies in favor of the accused, including that of the parish priest, underlining how the woman had “lied, she immediately showed herself to be lucid, she invented a story to immediately shake off the responsibilities”.
Right on responsibility De Tommasi insisted on Diana’s death: “Do not grant any benefits because he lied about his daughter’s life, he betrayed her twice: when he left her alone and when in this process he did not assume his responsibilities. Sentence her to life in prison and you will have given truth and justice to Diana”.
The court presided over by Ilio Mannucci Pacini she withdrew to decide.
