by Fulvio Fiano
The 20-year-old is accused of aggravated vehicular homicide. The sentence is slightly higher than that proposed by his defenders. Gaia’s mother hit in Corso Francia by Pietro Genovese: «It’s the same as usual»
Four years and four months is the sentence agreed upon by Matteo di Pietro, the YouTuber of the group The Borderline who killed a five-year-old child in a road accident in Casal Palocco while driving an SUV. The sentence is slightly higher than that proposed by his defenders and on which the prosecutor had given his favorable opinion.
After six months spent under house arrest, Matteo Di Pietro had asked to negotiate a four-year prison sentence for multiple aggravated vehicular homicide. He is the twenty-year-old YouTuber who killed Manuel, a 5-year-old boy, on June 14th. overwhelming the Smart in which he was traveling with his mother and little sister in a Lamborghini SUV launched at 120 kilometers per hour on the urban streets of Casal Palocco in Rome.
Di Pietro, said by his lawyer Antonella Benveduti, “will not go to prison”.
The challenge aboard the powerful car
His request had arrived a few days after the notice of closure of the investigation and the request for immediate trial with which the prosecutor accused him of negligence, imprudence, incompetence, as well as failure to comply with road traffic regulations. Di Pietro was “engaged” in a challenge aboard the powerful car together with the other members, and his employees, of The Borderline group.
Violations
Three articles of the highway code are contested: 141, which requires the driver of a car to “always maintain control of his vehicle and be able to carry out all necessary maneuvers in safe conditions, especially timely stopping, within the limits of its field of vision and in the face of any foreseeable obstacle.” 142 which sets specific speed limits and 145, which prohibits “obstructing an intersection when the driver does not have the possibility to continue and clear the intersection in a short time in order to allow the transit of vehicles coming from other directions”
TheBorderline
After an initial surge in popularity rebounding from news of the accident, the TheBorderline group (Alessio Ciaffaroni, Simone Dutto, Fabio Figari, Vito Lo Iacono, who are not under investigation), known on social media for other “businesses” such as the one that wanted them in the car consecutively for three days, has fallen apart. Indeed, Di Pietro’s former employees have distanced themselves from him. Francesco Consalvi, the YouTuber’s uncle and defender, describes him as “still traumatised”.
Di Pietro «will not go to prison»
Di Pietro was in the courtroom, where he made spontaneous statements to apologize and say he was sorry. He also expressed his desire to engage in projects regarding road safety in the future. Therefore his social commitment which he himself defined as “a social objective”. His lawyer, Antonella Benveduti, explains that «he will not go to prison. I believe that this is a sentence in line with the aims of our system, of re-education, re-socialisation typical of criminal sanctions. They are fundamental cornerstones of our criminal system, provided for by the Constitution, and important in subsequently evaluating the correctness of this punishment. No sentence can mitigate the grave mourning, the grave loss.”
The lawyer for the victim’s family: “It’s not a surprise…”
«We were prepared, it wasn’t a surprise. It remains a tragedy for a family, for a mother. Today we have a sentence that we respect but it cannot restore the life of a 5-year-old child”, comments Matteo Melandri, lawyer of Manuel’s mother.
Gaia’s mother: «It’s the usual thing»
A plea agreement that also raised controversy from politicians, with Minister Salvini immediately commenting: «4 years for killing a 5 year old child? A justice reform is more necessary than ever.” And then in the evening Gabriella Saracino, mother of Gaia von Freymann, also vented on social media, killed with her friend Camilla Romagnoli in 2019 by Pietro Genovese, driving the car that hit them on Corso Francia which is currently free.
«It’s business as usual – Saracino begins in his post -. As long as road homicide is considered to be manslaughter, these are the penalties! When an individual repeats a certain behavior, drives drunk, not clear from drugs, is distracted by the phone, goes at a crazy speed… When he kills it is not simply a coincidence! He’s a repeat offender! So the punishment should be exemplary! Is the life of a 5 year old child worth 4 years and 4 months? Is killing 2 innocent 16 year old girls worth 5 years and 4 months? I believe that if we continue with these farces we will end up like the wild west, where parents will take the law into their own hands and this in a civilized country is absurd!”
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January 31, 2024 (modified January 31, 2024 | 8:56 pm)
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