Giovanni Puleo, Francesco La Barbera and Giovanni D'Ignoti after their arrest

Villarbasse massacre took place on November 20, 1945, in Villarbasse — about 20 km from Turin — where four men from Sicily (Pietro Lala, Giovanni D'Ignoti, Giovanni Puleo, and Francesco La Barbera) killed ten people:[1] the men were sentenced to death, for the last application of capital punishment for common crimes in Italy.[2]

Background

In November 1945, just after the end of World War II, Pietro Lala (aged 20) quit his job in a farm — known as "cascina Simonetto" —[1] pretending an inheritance he was given by his family in Sicily.[1] During the night between November 20 and 21, helped by his accomplices, entered into the farm to carry out a robbery:[1] the group clubbed ten people and threw them, still alive, down a well.[1] After committing the robbery, they also stole clothes, food and 45,000 Liras each.[1]

The victims' bodies were found days later,[1] leading to investigations in which D'Ignoti, Puleo and La Barbera were caught;[1] Lala came back to Sicily where — despite the alias of Francesco Saporito —[1] he was killed on April 11, 1946, by the Mafia.[1] On July 5, 1946, the Corte d'Assise sentenced to death the remaining guilty individuals.[1]

Victims

  • Massimo Gianoli
  • Teresa Delfino
  • Antonio Ferrero
  • Anna Varetto
  • Renato Morra
  • Fiorina Maffiotto
  • Rosa Martinoli
  • Marcello Gastaldi
  • Domenico Rosso

Execution and aftermath

The last execution in Italy for common crimes[3] took place on March 4, 1947, at 7:45 AM when D'Ignoti, Puleo and La Barbera were shot to death in a rifle range by a 36-man firing squad.[4] Enrico De Nicola refused to commute their sentences to life in prison.[5]

Italian Parliament eventually abolished capital punishment in early 1948.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
    Accorsi, Centini
    — pp. 69-77
    .
  2. 1 2 Giorgio Bocca (4 March 2007). "Pena di morte". la Repubblica (in Italian). pp. 34–35.
  3. ↑ The last execution for war crimes took place the following day, against three former members of the Italian Social Republic.See "L'ultima esecuzione per crimini comuni in Italia". ilpost.it (in Italian). 4 March 2017.
  4. ↑ "I criminali di Villarbasse fucilati ieri" (PDF). L'Unità (in Italian). 5 March 1947. p. 2.
  5. ↑ Pagliuso, Antonio (2018-10-22). "La disumana strage di Villarbasse per l'ultima Condanna a Morte in Italia". Vanilla Magazine (in Italian). Retrieved 2022-05-24.

Sources

  • Andrea Accorsi; Massimo Centini (2006). Newton Compton Editori (ed.). Delitti italiani risolti o irrisolti (in Italian). p. 574. ISBN 88-541-0707-7.


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