Naples - "Mom, I love you." These were the last words spoken by Luca Piscopo, the 15-year-old from Vomero who died four years ago after a sushi dinner at an all-you-can-eat restaurant in the hilly neighborhood.
A top student at Pansini High School, he had gone out that evening with four classmates for a night out with friends. A few hours later, he suffered a sudden illness that marked the beginning of his ordeal.
"He left the restaurant already feeling sick," his mother, Maria Rosaria Borrelli, told TGR Campania. "He didn't want to eat dinner, and during the night he started having diarrhea and vomiting," she added, recalling those frantic hours. Luca was treated at home, with phone calls and contact with his GP, who, however—according to the family's statements and the investigators' reconstruction—never visited him at home during those days.
Nine days later, the 15enne He died in his bed. The autopsy revealed myocarditis, which the prosecutor's consultants believe was the result of a foodborne salmonella infection. The same bacterium had also been found in the four friends who had dined with him: however, they all received prompt treatment and survived.
Two days after Luca's death, the all-you-can-eat restaurant in Vomero was closed by the NAS Carabinieri. The business is now closed. The restaurant's owner and the boy's family doctor are on trial, facing various charges for their responsibility in the 15-year-old's death. The final hearing is scheduled for tomorrow, after which the judge will retire to deliberate.
The family is demanding justice. "I sincerely hope that both of them receive exemplary sentences," says their sister, Fatima Piscopo. "Under Italian law, these types of crimes always receive very light sentences, but I hope they receive the maximum penalty," she adds.
Through tears, Luca's mother repeats a phrase that has become the manifesto of her pain: "Nothing can give me my Luca back."
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