Naples. The Attorney General's Office of Naples has executed the order issued by the fifth criminal section of the Court of Appeal, which sentenced four members of the Longobardi-Beneduce Camorra clan of Pozzuoli to life imprisonment. Gaetano Beneduce, Gennaro Longobardi, Salvatore Cerrone and Nicola Palumbo were found guilty of the double murder of Domenico Sebastiano and Raffaele Bellofiore, which occurred on September 16, 1997 in the Toiano district, in an ambush using sawn-off shotguns.
Of the four defendants, only one was at liberty at the time of notification, having been subjected to the security measure of the workhouse. The life sentence had already been pronounced in the first instance by the judge for preliminary investigations and confirmed by the Court of Appeal on 2 February 2021. However, on 14 July 2020, the Court of Cassation had annulled the sentence, ordering a new trial by another section of the same Court of Appeal.
Last July 28, at the end of an investigation that lasted months, the sentence was confirmed. The testimonies of several collaborators of justice, some of whom were linked to the Polverino clan, were decisive, providing key elements to reconstruct the phases of the ambush.
According to investigators, the double homicide is part of the strategy of the Longobardi-Beneduce clan to consolidate their control over the territory, making use of the support of allies such as the "quartaioli" of Quarto and the Polverino clan, which would have provided men, means and logistical support, including support in the escape of the killers.
Despite the confirmation of the sentence, the sentence is not yet final, as it is open to the possibility of a further appeal to the Supreme Court. The case represents a significant chapter in the fight against the Camorra, highlighting the alliances between clans and the dynamics of criminal power in the Phlegraean territories.
Article published on November 29, 2024 - 11:52
The sentence is very important for the fight against the Camorra, but there are still many things to clarify and no one knows if it will really be the last word on this complicated and tragic case.
I hope that in the end we can see justice for the victims of this ugly episode of violence, even if I am not sure that the judicial system always manages to do its job well.