Anna Scala's femicide: The Court of Appeal upholds the life sentence for her ex-partner.

Naples – No sentence reduction for Salvatore Ferraiuolo, the 58-year-old fisherman who stabbed his ex-partner Anna Scala to death on August 17, 2023, in Piano di Sorrento, in the province of Naples. The Naples Court of Assizes of Appeal (Third Section) fully upheld the life sentence handed down in the first instance, rejecting the defense's arguments and granting the request of the Prosecutor General's Office.

The crime in the garage

Anna Scala, 56, a beautician from Vico Equense, mother and grandmother of two grandchildren, was murdered as she left her home to work for a client. According to the prosecution's reconstruction of the case, Ferraiuolo had stalked her and waited outside her house for over an hour, then attacked her from behind in a private garage, a remote location, stabbing her at least 17 times with a kitchen knife used for deboning ham.

After the attack, the man attempted to hide the body in the trunk of the victim's car, a white Citroen C3, before fleeing on a scooter. Neighbors raised the alarm, and the Carabinieri tracked him down a few hours later, not far from the murder scene, where he confessed to the crime.

A relationship that ended in violence

Anna and Salvatore had been together for fifteen years, but the relationship had ended about a year before the femicide due to his violent behavior. One incident in particular had marked the breakup: an attack at a friend's house that left her with bruises and broken teeth. Anna had since returned to live with her mother, but the harassment had not stopped.

On July 24, 2023, while she was at a beach resort in San Montano, Ferraiuolo approached her, publicly assaulted her, and slashed her car tires. That time, Anna reported the incident to the Carabinieri in Massa Lubrense, but he threatened to kill her, demanding she withdraw the complaint. She persisted and reported him a second time. Less than a month later, she was killed.

The first instance sentence

The first-instance trial was held before the First Section of the Court of Assizes of Naples, at the instigation of the Torre Annunziata Public Prosecutor's Office, led by Public Prosecutor Ugo Spagna, who had requested the maximum sentence. On June 10, 2025, the judges sentenced Ferraiuolo to life imprisonment, upholding all the aggravating circumstances contested, including cruelty. During the trial, the defendant repeatedly changed his version of events.

Maria Svato, the victim's daughter, was present at the reading of the verdict in courtroom 115 of the New Palace of Justice in Naples, assisted by civil party lawyer Salvatore Esposito: "This is the sentence of earthly justice. Nothing can bring my mother back to me, but he received the sentence he deserves, and it is right that he pay." The defendant showed no reaction upon hearing the sentence.

The appeal process and the defense line

In the second instance, the Naples Prosecutor General's Office, led by Deputy Prosecutor Carmine Esposito, requested confirmation of the life sentence. Ferraiuolo's defense, however, attempted to overturn the prosecution's case by relying on the defendant's confession that the murder occurred during a sudden argument, provoked by insults.

This theory, judges at the Court of Assizes of Appeal deemed incapable of undermining the reconstruction provided by the Torre Annunziata Prosecutor's Office based on the investigations of the Sorrento Carabinieri, which instead had outlined a premeditated attack, with the man lying in wait for the victim for some time.

At the previous hearing, Ferraiuolo had requested leave to make spontaneous statements, apologizing once again to the victim's family, who, along with their lawyer Salvatore Esposito, were a civil party. The Municipality of Piano di Sorrento also appeared in the proceedings.

The family's reaction

Maria Svato was also present in court when the appeal ruling was read, but this time she preferred not to comment. Attorney Esposito spoke: "We are completely satisfied with the decision of the Naples Court of Assizes of Appeal, which upheld the life sentence, doing justice to the memory of Anna Scala and her family.

The evidentiary framework has always been clear and evident, while the defendant has never shown a single sign of remorse. Confirming the life sentence is the only possible response to a crime of this gravity: no sentence can restore Anna to her loved ones, but today the certainty of punishment and the truth is forcefully reaffirmed.