New DNA evidence led Italian prosecutors to reopen the investigation into the 2007 murder of 26-year-old Italian woman, Chiara Poggi, with proceedings focusing on a new suspect, 37-year-old Andrea Sempio, a friend of Poggi's brother.
Poggi was murdered in her home in Garlasco on August 13, 2007, while she was alone, and was found dead in a pool of blood.
A consultancy ordered by the Pavia Prosecutor's Office confirmed that traces of DNA attributable to Sempio were found under Poggi's nails in several places, according to ANSA.
Sempio is being investigated for "murder in conspiracy with unknown persons or with Alberto Stasi himself," as he is accused of striking Poggi to the head and face with repeated blows inflicted with a blunt object, according to Leggo.
Sempio must undergo a saliva test and swab at the Carabinieri's scientific headquarters in Milan, according to Il Messaggero.
These developments followed the application of new DNA analysis techniques to biological samples from the crime scene, according to Libero Quotidiano.
Between 2016 and 2017, Sempio was investigated for DNA traces found under Poggi's nails, but the accusations against him were archived by the investigating judge of Pavia, Fabio Lambertucci, in March 2017.
At that time, the public prosecutors stated that pointing the finger at Sempio was "a clumsy attempt to find an alternative culprit to Alberto Stasi," according to Avvenire.
The investigations began following a complaint from the mother of Alberto Stasi, Poggi's then-boyfriend, who requested the case to be reopened due to some "suspicious" declarations and circumstances made by Sempio.
Alberto Stasi, now 37 years old, was convicted to 16 years in prison for Poggi's murder after being acquitted twice in earlier trials, according to Il Giornale.
"My conscience is light, those who say I killed Chiara don't know what they're talking about," said Stasi, according to Il Tempo.
Since January 2023, Stasi has been granted permits to work outside the prison as an accountant under reintegration programs, as the surveillance judges consider him a model prisoner, according to Il Messaggero.
The new DNA analyses were conducted by a geneticist on behalf of the Giarda law firm, which relied on an investigation company in Milan, and their positive outcome was confirmed by a consultancy ordered by the Prosecutor's Office of Pavia, according to ANSA.
Sempio has denied consent to the DNA tests and has refused to voluntarily undergo the DNA test, so it will be carried out coercively, according to ANSA.
At the time of Poggi's death, Sempio was 19 years old, according to Libero Quotidiano.
He is a friend of Poggi's brother, Marco, and was a frequent visitor to the family home, as noted by ANSA.
In 2016, when Stasi's defense attempted to reopen the case, consultant Pasquale Linarello argued that the DNA found was sufficient to exclude the presence of Stasi's biological material, according to ANSA.
However, the public prosecutor and the magistrate dismantled the hypothesis that Sempio had fallen in love with Poggi, according to Il Fatto Quotidiano.
The judge emphasized the inadequacy of the methods used to obtain Sempio's DNA, according to Il Giornale.
The DNA samples taken from two fingers of Poggi's nails were found to be compatible with Sempio's DNA, according to Rai News.
The reopening of the case is being conducted by Prosecutor Valentina De Stefano and Deputy Prosecutor Stefano Civardi, according to Il Messaggero.
"My husband and I learned the news today watching Tg1. We have nothing and we don't want to say anything," said Rita Poggi, Chiara's mother, according to ANSA.
When asked if the event reopens a torment for the family, she replied: "Imagine yourself," according to ANSA.
"He is astonished and shocked regarding the new developments," said Sempio's lawyer, Massimo Lovati, according to Il Tempo.
Lovati added: "We are confident that the truth will come out," according to Il Giornale.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.