Naples: Maddaloni confesses to the Grivano murder: "I shot, but I didn't mean to kill."

Naples – "It's true, I fired. But I didn't mean to kill Alessandro Grivano. And my partner didn't know anything: she didn't realize I had a gun, or that I intended to shoot."

This is how Ernesto Maddaloni, thirty-four, defended himself before the preliminary investigations judge. He has been in prison for a week along with his partner, Immacolata Brunetti, 30, known in local circles as "Eliana." Both are seriously suspected of complicity in the murder of Alessandro Grivano, who was killed on the night of July 4th in the heart of Piazza Sant'Anna in Capuana.

In his deposition, the suspect attempted to shoulder full responsibility for the attack, while also attempting to exonerate the woman, sister of the boss Manuel Brunetti, known as "'o Chicco." Brunetti, for her part, reiterated the same defense in the interrogation room: "I was with him, it's true, but I never noticed that firearm, nor could I have imagined what was about to happen."

The Shadow of a Hate Crime: The Path of Passion and the Spiral of Revenge

A brutal crime that—investigators are keen to point out—has nothing to do with the Neapolitan Camorra's policies of order and territorial control, but rather is rooted in blind resentment, sparked by strictly personal and passionate dynamics. The reconstruction by officers from the Homicide Section of the Naples Flying Squad, led by Director Mario Grassia and Deputy Commissioner Silvia Marino, paints a clear and dramatic picture.

It all apparently stemmed from a past romantic relationship between the victim, Alessandro Grivano, and Immacolata Brunetti herself. A bond born at a time when both were romantically free, but it left behind a toxic aftermath and a dull jealousy. In recent months, that resentment had escalated into a personal feud punctuated by constant street fights, resulting in a virulent escalation of insults, provocations, and mutual threats on social media.

The criminal escalation: from the Borgo robberies to death threats

The investigative investigation, conducted by cross-referencing images from public and private video surveillance systems and the valuable testimonies gathered from the victim's family and acquaintances, shed light on a far more complex scenario than a sudden argument. Investigators believe Immacolata Brunetti was far from being a passive bystander.

In the months preceding the murder, the Maddaloni-Brunetti couple allegedly systematically intimidated Grivano and his wife. The Flying Squad reconstructed two key incidents: first, a warning shot by Maddaloni, who allegedly fired several shots at a window of the couple's home in Borgo Sant'Antonio Abate; then, the direct intervention of "Eliana," who allegedly explicitly warned the victim of her partner's intention to stab him to death.

The turning point in the investigation and the defense framework

On the night of July 4th, the tragic epilogue occurred in Piazza Sant'Anna in Capuana. Maddaloni was found to be the only one to pull the trigger, but Immacolata Brunetti's criminal case remains extremely serious due to her alleged moral and material involvement in the progressive intimidation.

The defendants, who are presumed innocent until convicted, will have the opportunity to present their case during the criminal proceedings. The defense is entrusted to the defense team composed of attorneys Leopoldo Perone, Simone Grossi, and Giuseppe Ricciulli, ready to battle over individual responsibilities and the existence of the constituent elements of the crime.