Appeal upheld in Tufano murder: 15-year-old convicted man leaves prison and goes to a community center

The Review Section of the Juvenile Court of Naples has accepted the appeal presented by the defense team of one of the youths involved in the fatal shootout that cost the life of fifteen-year-old Emanuele Tufano.

The fifteen-year-old boy, a member of the Piazza Mercato armed gang, is thus being released from the juvenile detention center and transferred to house arrest in a protected residential community. This mitigated measure will allow the minor to continue his rehabilitation process outside of prison while awaiting his appeal, scheduled for next October.

The night of lead

The story stems from the dramatic firefight that took place on the night between October 23 and 24, 2024, in the alleys near Piazza Mercato and Corso Umberto. The gunfight resulted from a group of young people from the Sanità district invading territory controlled by the rival faction.

During the firefight, Tufano was killed on the pavement, according to ballistic reports and the Flying Squad's investigations, fatally hit by so-called "friendly fire" fired by his fellow officers in the chaos of the shootout.

The picture of convictions

In the fast-track proceedings before the Juvenile Court, investigating judge Umberto Lucarelli handed down heavy sentences to six young defendants. The three members of the Sanità group accused of murdering their friend received sentences ranging from 12 to 17 years in prison. The three youths from the Piazza Mercato group, charged with attempted murder for the armed attack, received sentences ranging from 7 to 8 years in prison (including the 7-year-old sentence now released from prison, sentenced to 7 years and 4 months).

On the adult front, the ordinary justice system sentenced Gennaro De Martino, believed to be the leader of the Mercato fire group, to 12 years in prison.