Campobasso – Salvatore Ocone declined to speak today either before the Benevento preliminary investigations judge. The 58-year-old man responsible for the Paupisi family massacre exercised his right to remain silent during the preliminary hearing held in Capodimonte prison, where he has been held since last Saturday after being transferred from Campobasso.
Assisted by his lawyer, Giovanni Santoro of the Campobasso bar, Ocone simply confirmed his personal details, once again choosing to remain silent, as he had done in recent days before investigators in Molise.
The investigating judge has formalized the new pre-trial detention order, following the transfer of jurisdiction of the investigation from Campobasso to Benevento.
The massacre of September 30th
The dawn of that September 30th remains etched in the history of Sannio as one of the darkest pages in history. According to investigators' reconstruction, Ocone allegedly attacked his wife, Elisa, 49, and their two children, Cosimo, 15, and Antonia, 17, in their sleep, using a large stone.
The woman and the boy died instantly, while their eldest daughter, severely hit in the head, miraculously survived. She has since been hospitalized in serious condition at Neuromed Hospital in Pozzilli, where she is still fighting for her life.
After the double homicide, the man reportedly left home in a state of shock, only to be tracked down and arrested by the Carabinieri.
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End of solitary confinement and possible psychiatric evaluation
Transferred to Benevento, Ocone is no longer held in solitary confinement: he shares a cell with another inmate. "Here in Benevento he is not in solitary confinement," his lawyer clarified, "and for now he maintains a completely closed-off attitude."
Lawyer Santoro, answering reporters' questions upon his release from prison, hinted that he might request a psychiatric evaluation for his client:
"I have already collected some documentary evidence that I will have analyzed by a specialist," he explained, "to assess whether Ocone was fully conscious at the time of the incident. This tragedy is of unimaginable gravity and pain: it must be addressed with the utmost respect for all those involved."
When asked if the defendant had inquired about his daughter Antonia's condition, the lawyer was blunt: "No. Anyone who meets him realizes he's a man completely out of touch with reality."
The investigation continues
Meanwhile, the Benevento Prosecutor's Office continues to reconstruct the hours leading up to the massacre. They are investigating the family context and possible signs of distress that may have preceded the outbreak of violence. Investigators are now awaiting the medical-legal reports and the results of psychiatric evaluations, which will clarify whether Ocone was fully aware of his actions.
Meanwhile, in the small town of Paupisi, the pain remains raw: an entire community, shocked by a domestic tragedy, continues to demand justice and truth.
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