Castellammare, armed for revenge after the murder: Fontana's brother and an accomplice are released.

Castellammare – The first significant relaxations in the precautionary measures have been announced in the second strand of the investigation into the murder of Alfonso Fontana, the twenty-four-year-old shot dead in February 2024 near the Torre Annunziata courthouse. The Torre Annunziata Court's preliminary investigations judge, Mariano Sorrentino, has ordered the release of Alessandro Fontana (the victim's brother) and Emanuele Raffone.

The preliminary hearing judge's decision fully accepts the requests presented by the defense attorneys of the two defendants, Roberto Attanasio and Aldo D'Apuzzo.

Towards a plea bargain of nine months

The two suspects are involved in the parallel investigation that last May led to the arrest of mafia boss Giovanni Imparato, believed by investigators to be the one who accompanied and incited the alleged killer Catello Martino.

According to the prosecution's case reconstructed by the Carabinieri of the Torre Annunziata Investigative Unit, after the deadly ambush, Alessandro Fontana and Raffone armed themselves in an attempt to retaliate. When confronted by investigators, however, the two chose to confess, reaching an agreement with the Anti-Mafia Prosecutor's Office for a nine-month prison sentence. A chamber hearing scheduled for next October will now formally ratify the plea bargain.

The mafia aggravating circumstance and the crime framework are dropped

Further evidence in favor of the defense came from the Court of Review, which overturned the aggravating circumstance of mafia affiliation for both men.

The murder of Alfonso Fontana is rooted in a cross-party vendetta: the young man, believed to be close to the criminal gang in the Acqua della Madonna district of Castellammare, allegedly participated, along with two other accomplices, in a burglary at the home of a relative of Catello Martino. Stolen goods estimated at approximately €150 were stolen from the home, money believed by the Anti-Mafia Authority to be the proceeds of the illicit activities of the Imparato clan, a criminal organization closely linked to drug dealing and allied with the D'Alessandros of Castellammare di Stabia.

The dynamics and the trail of justice

The ambush took place in broad daylight outside the Torre del Greco courthouse. Catello Martino, accompanied by Giovanni Imparato, allegedly confronted Fontana before killing him with several gunshots.
Martino has already been tried for the murder: he was sentenced to life in prison at first instance, but his sentence was reduced to twenty years on appeal after the aggravating circumstance of premeditation was ruled out. Giovanni Imparato, however, was arrested in the raid that took place last May.