Seven men are under investigation for aggravated homicide in Avellino after being beaten in prison.

The charge against seven people believed to be involved in the beating that led to the death of Paolo Piccolo, the 26-year-old attacked in October 2024 inside the Bellizzi Irpino prison in the province of Avellino, has been upgraded to aggravated homicide. The precautionary measures were issued by the Avellino Flying Squad and the Central Investigative Unit of the Penitentiary Police following an investigation coordinated by the Irpinia Prosecutor's Office.

According to investigators' reconstruction, Piccolo was the victim of a punitive raid that erupted as part of a struggle between opposing groups within the prison over drug and cell phone trafficking. The young man was brutally beaten on October 22, 2024, and rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

After nearly a year in a coma, Paolo Piccolo died on the night between October 17th and 18th. His death radically changed the judicial framework of the investigation, transforming what was initially considered attempted murder into a charge of aggravated murder.

As of March 7, eleven precautionary measures had already been executed for crimes ranging from threats to kidnapping against Penitentiary Police officers, again in connection with the attempted murder of the young inmate. Four of the suspects have chosen the summary trial procedure, while for seven others, the Avellino Court, on November 14, ordered the return of the case files to the Prosecutor's Office for reclassification of the crime, in light of the victim's death.

The investigation, coordinated by Prosecutor Domenico Airoma, now aims to shed full light on what happened inside the prison and on the individual responsibilities for a fatal attack. This case brings to the forefront the security conditions in prisons and the violent dynamics that can develop behind bars.