A leap into the unknown, at dawn. This is how notary Sabatino Santangelo, a prominent figure in Naples' professional and political life, died. He passed away at the age of 89 in his apartment on Corso Vittorio Emanuele.
According to the reconstruction, the extreme act took place around 5 a.m.: Santangelo climbed onto a chair and then threw himself from the balcony of his apartment located on the eighth floor of an Art Nouveau building.
The body was found shortly thereafter, lying in the condominium's internal garden. A cleaning company employee raised the alarm. The Carabinieri responded to the scene, inspecting the apartment during the morning and notifying the public prosecutor on duty.
The investigation and the farewell letter
There's no mystery about the circumstances. The notary left a letter addressed to the family, a few emotionally charged lines, now included in the file opened by the Prosecutor's Office. The investigation is being coordinated by Deputy Prosecutor Alessandro Milita and entrusted to Prosecutor Fabio De Cristoforo. An autopsy has also been ordered, scheduled for this morning at 12:30. The testimonies relating to Santangelo's final hours will be formalized.
The previous evening, she had seemed calm. However, she had expressed distress over a national news story—the Anguillara tragedy—that had deeply affected her. A few hours later, the epilogue.
A life between profession and politics
To everyone, he was "Tino." A mentor to generations of notaries, Santangelo was considered a key figure in the Neapolitan legal and notarial world. Alongside his long professional career, he also had a prominent political role: he served as deputy mayor of Naples from 2006 to 2011, in the second administration led by Rosa Russo Iervolino.
The news of his passing deeply shocked the city. Many, including colleagues, students, and friends, remembered him, emphasizing a recurring theme: "His innocence," at the end of a 17-year legal process.
The never-ending process
Santangelo was, in fact, a defendant in the proceedings concerning the management of Bagnolifutura, a company owned by the City of Naples. Convicted in the first instance, he was acquitted twice on appeal. On both occasions, the Supreme Court of Cassation overturned the sentences, sending the case back to Naples. The next hearing was scheduled for March 6th before the Court of Appeal, for what would have been the fifth round of proceedings.
Defended by Giuseppe Fusco, a trusted criminal lawyer, Santangelo had always maintained the integrity of his actions, both as deputy mayor and in managing the former municipal company. Yesterday morning, Fusco himself remained with his wife and children while the Carabinieri forensic team completed their investigations at the home.
The weight of the years and the wait
No one will ever be able to establish a causal link between the extreme act and the trial, a hypothesis ruled out by the family themselves, who deny "any connection with the latest developments in the judicial proceedings." Yet, the return to the courtroom continued to weigh heavily. A few days before Christmas, the notary had confided his bitterness at yet another resumption of proceedings that seemed never-ending.
His advanced age, some health problems—a recent pneumonia had confined him to bed for days—and the approaching of his ninetieth birthday also weighed on his state of mind.
A gesture that shakes not only Naples, but also the political and judicial debate, in a phase marked by the discussion on the referendum for the Nordio reform and the separation of careers.
A painful end for a man who spent decades in public life, leaving a profound mark on the city.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (1)
The news of Santangelo's death was very sad, but I don't understand why he took such a drastic step. Life is full of challenges, but there's always hope. A solution could have been found.