For his death, the then commander of the Carabinieri, Franco Mottola, his wife Anna Maria, the couple's son, Marco Mottola, and Marshal Vincenzo Quatrale ended up in the dock. The four are charged with conspiracy to murder.
It was the morning of June 1, 2001 when Serena Mollicone, a young student from Frosinone, disappeared without a trace.
That morning, the girl had gone to the hospital in Sora. A few hours later, her father, Guglielmo Mollicone, having no news of his daughter, alerted the police.
Thus began a race against time, which would prove to be completely useless. Serena Mollicone's body was found lifeless two days after her disappearance, in a grove in Anitrella.
The scene that presented itself to the rescuers was heartbreaking: Serena had her feet and hands tied and her head wrapped in a plastic bag.
On the temple, just above the left eye, the victim had a deep wound.
A decisive turning point in the investigations into the girl's death, years after the crime, comes the testimony of Santino Tuzi, a soldier of the Arma di Arce. The carabiniere states that, on the day of her disappearance, Serena Mollicone had been in the barracks in Arce.
That day Tuzi finished his shift at 14:30 pm, confirming that the victim had not yet left the barracks at that time.
The following are under investigation for the crime: the then commander of the Carabinieri, Franco Mottola, his wife Anna Maria, the couple's son, Marco Mottola, and Marshal Vincenzo Quatrale. The 4 are charged with conspiracy to murder.
Marshal Quatrale is also accused of incitement to suicide. The key witness, Santino Tuzi, took his own life on April 11, 2008, shooting himself, just on the eve of his testimony against the Mottola family.
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Among the suspects is also Francesco Suprano, accused of aiding and abetting. The soldier allegedly contributed to misleading the investigation into the death of the young student.
22 years after that crime, the trial for the death of Serena Mollicone is still ongoing.
The super-expert report by the pathologist Cristina Cattaneo, heard just yesterday in the Courtroom, confirmed the causes of death. The victim was first hit on the head, after a violent fight.
The wound Serena had on her temple was consistent with a blow to the door of the barracks, which was in fact damaged. After being stunned, the girl would later die of asphyxiation, caused by the plastic bag placed over her head.
But why did Serena end up in that barracks? That day the girl had gone to the Carabinieri to report drug dealing, in which, in her opinion, the commander's son, Marco Mottola, was also involved.
But Serena never left that barracks alive. After killing her, the soldiers transported her body to the Anitrella woods, where it was found two days after her disappearance.
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