Camorra cold case in the Traiano district: the boss confesses in court: "I apologize, but the target was different."

Naples – The first-degree trial in the cold case of the murder of Antonio Ivone, committed in August 2000 on Via Tertulliano in the Traiano district, opens with a sensational twist. Via video link from Rebibbia prison, a prison under the 41-bis regime, Bagnoli boss Massimiliano Esposito, a longtime leader known in criminal circles as 'o scognato, has asked for spontaneous statements.

Before investigating judge Maria Laura Ciollaro and DDA prosecutor Maria Sepe, the head of the Phlegraean family addressed the victim's family directly to apologize, admitting his responsibility but offering a previously unseen reconstruction of the events of that fiery summer.

Following suit, the confession of co-defendant Maurizio Bitonto, alias Provolo, also arrived. He was defended alongside Esposito by the panel of lawyers Rocco Maria Spina and Saverio Senese.

Mistaken Identity and Failed Revenge Against Rodolfo Zinco

In reconstructing the raid, Esposito, as reported by Il Roma, explained that he initially didn't intend to target Antonio Ivone, who was related to members of the opposing faction. The commando's intended target was Rodolfo Zinco, a member of the Rossi clan who was also subsequently ambushed.

The assassination plot, it emerged, was conceived in response to two previous armed attacks on the Esposito clan, one of which occurred while the head of the family was with his then-infant son, Christian. Having failed to find Zinco on the road, the commando turned to Ivone, whom they had surprised outside a kiosk.

A bloody action that today, at fifty-five years old and with a different maturity, the Phlegraean boss firmly repudiates, admitting that he gave consent to a ruthless action but one born of criminal logic far removed in time.

Marco Conte's judicial recovery and the weight of his revelations

The guilty plea, which came at the opening of the summary trial, redraws the contours of a complex investigation conducted by the Flying Squad and culminating in the immediate trial ordered by investigating judge Fabrizio Finamore.

The investigation had taken a decisive turn thanks to the statements of justice collaborator Marco Conte, who had pointed the finger at a six-person commando unit aimed at expanding criminal control between Fuorigrotta, Bagnoli, and the Rione Traiano.

The legal proceedings had been through a turbulent period: after the initial annulment by the preliminary hearing and the subsequent intervention of the Court of Cassation, the judges of the Court of Liberty had reinstated the pre-trial detention, paving the way for a trial that today, with the surprise move by the two defendants, marks a turning point destined to rewrite the judicial truth about that distant bloody ambush.