Naples – A tiny lesion in the aorta, measuring just one millimeter, was fatal for Jlenia Musella, the 22-year-old stabbed to death in the back by her brother Giuseppe Musella, 28, in the late afternoon of February 4th in the Conocal district of Naples.
This afternoon, at 4:30 PM, the young woman's funeral will be held in the Church of the Holy Family in the Luzzatti district, while the suspect remains in prison, charged with aggravated voluntary homicide.
The autopsy: the lesion to the aorta was decisive
According to the autopsy, performed concurrently with the arrest hearing, Jlenia's death was caused by a very small lesion to the aorta, which was deemed sufficient to cause a fatal hemorrhage. The autopsy also revealed a lung lesion, which was deemed not a factor in the cause of death.
The final picture will be available after the medical-legal report is filed, expected within 60 days.
The defense's version: "The knife was thrown, not held."
Commenting on the preliminary autopsy results was lawyer Andrea Fabozzo, who defended Giuseppe Musella along with his colleague Leopoldo Perone.
"According to what our consultant, who took part in the autopsy, told us, it is plausible to believe that the wound found on poor Jlenia's back was caused by the knife being thrown," the lawyer explained.
Fabozzo specified that "to reach a definitive compatibility it is necessary to wait for all the tests", but he reiterated that the injury to the aorta "could have been caused by the impact with a thrown and unheld knife".
The argument and the confession
The murder occurred after a family argument broke out, according to investigators, because the young woman had injured the dog her brother was particularly fond of.
After his arrest, Giuseppe Musella confessed to the Flying Squad on the night of February 4th and 5th, claiming he had thrown the knife without intending to kill his sister. This version he reiterated before the judge during the validation hearing.
The investigating judge does not believe the knife was thrown
This reconstruction, however, did not convince investigating judge Maria Rosaria Aufieri, who confirmed the arrest for aggravated voluntary homicide and ordered his pre-trial detention.
According to the judge, the theory of a thrown knife "does not hold up": such a move would have required "a degree of composure and courage incompatible" with the suspect's subsequent conduct. The investigating judge, however, ruled that it was a stab wound delivered at close range.
Attempts to divert attention and deleted social media
Among the factors that influenced the judge's decision was his behavior following the murder. According to the order, Giuseppe Musella attempted to erase evidence by deleting his social media profiles in an attempt to "construct an alternative truth" to what happened.
For these reasons, the defense's request to reclassify the crime from voluntary homicide to manslaughter was rejected.
The silence of the Conocal district
In the order, the investigating judge also highlights another disturbing aspect: the "neighborhood silence." Some residents of the Conocal neighborhood, according to the judge, protected the killer, thus hindering the discovery of the truth immediately after Jlenia's death.
The suspect's pain and messages of support
Defended by lawyers Fabozzo and Perone, Giuseppe Musella cried during the hearing, claiming that "the worst sentence is the death of my sister."
Meanwhile, several messages of solidarity have appeared on social media. Among the most controversial was one posted on TikTok by Rosaria Scarallo, sister-in-law of the mafia boss Antonio D'Amico, identified as the leader of the Conocal criminal group of the same name, known as "Fraulella."
Scarallo, released from prison last May and sister of Anna Scarallo, known as the "scianel" of Ponticelli, and mother of Giuseppe Perrella, recently arrested after a period on the run, a figure considered a high-ranking figure in the gang, wrote a long message defending Giuseppe Musella, describing him as a young man with a "big heart" and maintaining that he would never have wanted to harm his sister.
Rosaria Scarallo's post
“I saw you born, grow up, you slept in my bed with my children, and I know the person you are. Unfortunately, we are all good at judging, even if no one has the right to do so. You loved your sister more than your own life. You protected her like a brother, a father. You were everything to her, and she was everything to you. You were the two of you, and you still are. Because from up there, she knows that you didn't want it. They say and write so much nonsense. We know the truth, and you and we know that we are all close to you. You will never be alone. You have a big heart. Unfortunately, life has been cruel to you. You will always remain the boy you are. I love you very much. She will always be with you. Your love will always be only your heart.”
A crime leaves bitter reflections
As the neighborhood prepares to bid farewell to Jlenia, the story continues to shake Naples: a crime committed within a family context, a dynamic still being examined by investigators, and a neighborhood accused of silence.
A tiny wound, just a millimeter in size, shattered a young life and opened a deep rift, not only within a family, but in the entire community.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (1)
Jlenia's story is very sad and makes one think about how things can degenerate in families. The aortic injury was fatal, but there are many questions about her brother's behavior. I don't understand how it could have come to this.