Naples – The mystery is deepening surrounding the death of Michele Noschese, the 35-year-old Neapolitan DJ who died in Ibiza last Saturday under still unclear circumstances during an operation by the Spanish Guardia Civil.
A story that, day by day, is taking on the shape of a full-blown diplomatic incident between Italy and Spain, with cross-accusations, unpublished testimonies, and a family demanding justice.
Autopsy disputed: "A hasty and unreliable examination"
The autopsy performed in Spain did not shed any light on the matter. According to the Noschese family, the examination was superficially conducted and without the presence of a consultant, as denounced by the victim's father, Pino Noschese, a veteran physician and former director of the Trauma Center at the Cardarelli Hospital in Naples.
Rosanna Alvaro, the family's legal representative on the island, also expressed strong reservations: "The autopsy must be considered incomplete. We will request further tests, such as CT scans and MRIs, to identify any internal injuries that might have been missed during a "hot" examination."
The DJ's father also filed a complaint with the Spanish authorities, alleging voluntary homicide against the officers who intervened that morning.
Witness's account: "Michele was handcuffed, they hit him in the face."
What calls everything into question is the testimony of Raffaele Rocco, the DJ's roommate and close friend, who was present at the house when the police intervened. Rocco told Il Mattino that he witnessed the scene: "They put handcuffs not only on his hands, but also on his feet.
I had never seen anything like it. Then they started punching him in the face and back. I was at the door and I could hear him screaming, 'Leave me alone, leave me alone.' He was terrified.”
According to Rocco, there was no party at the house that morning, nor was Michele violent. The neighbors' intervention was apparently prompted by the DJ's state of confusion, which was also noticed by an Argentine roommate.
Among those who rushed to the scene was the elderly neighbor who, according to the Guardia Civil's reconstruction, was threatened with a knife by the 35-year-old. But Rocco denies this: "The old man only tried to calm him down; he fell on his own. I helped him get up. Michele never attacked him."
The Civil Guard's version and the contradictions
The Guardia Civil , for its part, maintains a completely different version: the officers intervened to stop Michele, who, in the throes of a psychotic fit, climbed over the old man's balcony, armed with a knife. According to the officers, there was no violence on their part, but simply a restraining action. Shortly thereafter, the young man suffered a seizure and died despite attempts to resuscitate him.
This dynamic is partially confirmed by the daughter of the 81-year-old involved, who, in an interview with Periodico de Ibiza, spoke of the "good relationship" between her father and Michele. However, she also stated that the elderly man "suffered bruises and trauma" and that "he doesn't even remember if the DJ had a knife."
An increasingly tense diplomatic situation
The Noschese case is likely to spark further tensions between Rome and Madrid. The Farnesina has already activated its diplomatic channels, while calls for transparency and international cooperation to fully shed light on the incident are growing.
The family, also assisted by Italian lawyers, is now requesting a second autopsy in Italy, after the body's return. "We cannot accept silence and omissions," said the father. "My son was agitated, but not violent. This is not how people die in a European democracy."
Meanwhile, thousands of messages of condolence continue to arrive from Naples, from the world of electronic music, and from friends and colleagues of the DJ, known in the scene by his stage name DJ Godzi.
Michele Noschese's death is a very complex case, and the differing versions make it even more difficult to understand. I believe it's important to have clarity on what happened, especially for the family seeking justice.