Camorra murder in Giugliano: sentencing comes after 30 years

Giugliano – The Anti-Mafia Investigative Directorate has executed the arrest warrants issued by the Naples Prosecutor General's Office against Francesco Napolitano and Michele Olimpio, believed to be top members of the Mallardo clan. Both men have been given life sentences for the murder of Mario Di Lorenzo, committed in Giugliano, Campania, on October 12, 1996.

The Court of Cassation finally closed the proceedings, upholding the conviction resulting from the referral to the Naples Court of Assizes of Appeal on September 17. The sentence had been pronounced on November 3, 2025, after being overturned and remanded by the Supreme Court in 2024.

The crime and the investigative reconstruction

The murder dates back almost thirty years. According to the reconstruction by investigators and the Naples District Anti-Mafia Directorate, Di Lorenzo was killed following an incident within the Camorra organization active in Giugliano.

According to the investigation, the victim allegedly made extortion demands against small business owners despite not having received authorization from the group's leadership. This conduct, according to the prosecution, was considered a violation of the clan's internal rules and led to the decision to eliminate him.

Napolitano was considered the instigator of the attack, while Olimpio was identified as one of the perpetrators, along with Filippo Caracallo. The latter, who later became a collaborator with justice, died during the proceedings. The charges were aggravated by the mafia's methods and the intent to benefit the Mallardo clan.

From the "Babel" investigation to the convictions

The reconstruction of the old murder was developed as part of investigations conducted between 2018 and 2019 by the DIA Operations Center in Naples, coordinated by the DDA, and incorporated into Operation "Babele." The investigation focused on the structures and activities of the Mallardo clan, an organization historically rooted in the Giugliano area and integrated into the criminal network of the northern Naples area.

The Di Lorenzo murder trial proceeded through several levels of judgment:

• on March 12, 2021, the life sentence was handed down in the first instance;
  on 6 October 2023 the Court of Assizes of Appeal of Naples confirmed the sentence;
  in June 2024 the Court of Cassation annulled the conviction with referral, ordering a new appeal trial;
  on 3 November 2025 the Court of Assizes of Appeal of Naples, in the referral session, again pronounced the life sentence;
  On September 17, 2026, the Court of Cassation confirmed the decision, making the sentences irrevocable.

The passage of 2024 and the new judgment

The 2024 Supreme Court hearing reopened the proceedings. The Supreme Court overturned the previous convictions and remanded them, requiring a new judicial review of the evidence used to support the prosecution, including the statements of the collaborators of justice.

As a result of the annulment, Napolitano was released from custody following the expiration of his pre-trial detention terms, with a ban on residing in Campania. In July 2026, he was returned to prison under a separate precautionary measure, adopted by the Naples Court of Appeal on the eve of his Supreme Court hearing.
With the final verdict of September 17 and the execution of the prison orders, the long judicial process regarding the murder of Mario Di Lorenzo has now come to an end.