Caserta – An immediate trial for vehicular homicide. This is the decision of the investigating judge, at the request of the Prosecutor's Office, for the recently 18-year-old woman held responsible for the accident that killed Alessio Russo, a 25-year-old from San Tammaro and the son of a former city councilor, on the night of May 9th.
The incident occurred at dawn on Via Consiglio d'Europa, in San Prisco, in the province of Caserta. According to the Carabinieri investigation, coordinated by the Naples Juvenile Prosecutor's Office, the young woman—still a minor at the time of the incident (her birthday was just a few days later)—was driving an MG SUV without the right to do so: she didn't yet have a driver's license.
But the most chilling detail that emerged from the investigations was the number of people aboard the vehicle that night: nine. A veritable "human cargo" beyond all limits. The dynamics reconstructed by investigators show the young woman behind the wheel, a friend in the passenger seat carrying 25-year-old Russo, five young people crammed into the back seat, and another even in the trunk.
According to investigators, the likely cause of the tragedy was the high speed at which the SUV approached a roundabout. The vehicle, destabilized, overturned. The tragedy unfolded in an instant. Alessio Russo, trapped inside the vehicle, had no chance: he was crushed by the weight of the car and died instantly.
The evidence gathered by the military—which paints a picture of grossly reckless and homicidal conduct—has convinced the Prosecutor's Office to request a summary trial. The investigating judge has ordered an immediate trial, which will be held on January 22nd before the Naples Juvenile Court. The hearing will be attended by the defendant and the victim's family, who have joined the civil action along with Vincenzo D'Angelo, the lawyer for the "Penelope" association.
This is very sad news and gives pause for thought as to why there are young people driving without a license. Everyone must take responsibility, especially the young and inexperienced.