Naples, the prosecutor accuses "Valda was the head of the clan after the arrest of his brother"

Naples. Francesco Pio Maimone was the new head of the Aprea-Valda di Barra clan, a role he assumed after the arrest of his brother Luigi. Naples' anti-mafia prosecutor, Antonella Fratello, described him as a "camorrista," claiming he fired multiple shots not with the intention of killing eighteen-year-old Francesco Pio Maimone, "but accepting the risk of hitting an innocent man in the crowd."

Valda is accused of the murder of Maimone, the young pizza chef from Pianura who was shot dead on the night of March 19, 2023, during a petty argument along the Naples waterfront. Although Maimone had no involvement in the dispute, he was fatally injured.

During the hearing, in the presence of the parties and the victim's family, the prosecutor requested a life sentence for Valda, calling him an "alarming personality." The reconstruction of the incident, supported by video surveillance footage, describes the arrival of rival groups on the seafront, the fight that broke out over the shoes, and the panic among those present, including families with children.

The prosecutor highlighted the defendants' unscrupulous display of power on social media, who "continued to challenge each other, demonstrating a total lack of remorse for the death of an innocent man."

According to the prosecution, Valda's friends and relatives knew about the crime and helped him escape.

Valda's postings on social media, "Let's drink to life imprisonment" and "If it goes badly, it's experience," demonstrate a lack of remorse for the death of young Maimone, demonstrating his coldness and total disregard for human life. The prosecutor requested a life sentence for Valda, describing him as "a dangerous and unscrupulous person."

According to the prosecutor, "Valda is a dangerous and unscrupulous person."

The deputy prosecutor also highlighted the role played by Valda's friends and relatives, "all part of the same criminal environment", who, according to the prosecutor, were aware of what had happened that night and despite this, helped the alleged murderer: Perna and Saiz escorted him after the raid, Josephine Valda and Clemente Alessandra, sister and cousin, recovering him after the violence.

There's already one conviction for this case, that of Rocco Sorrentino, who was tried under the summary trial procedure in the first instance, where he received six years in prison for possession of a weapon, possibly the very one used by Valda. On appeal, he received a sentence reduction, reducing his sentence to four years.

"The Camorra's strength," the prosecutor explained, "is manifested not only locally, but also through social media" in a "back-and-forth between the two Camorra families" that was "a public display of strength," further demonstrated by "the testimonies of the owners and managers of the chalets, frequented by Camorra groups ready to face each other at the slightest spark," who "were afraid to identify and mention the customers' origins."

After the murder, Valda reportedly wrote on social media, "If things go badly, it's experience," and again, "zero regrets." After his arrest, despite being held in Terni prison, officers from the Naples Flying Squad reconstructed how Valda published "video on Tiktok" directly from the cell.