Wikipedia

Murder of Yara Gambirasio

On 26 November 2010, Yara Gambirasio, a 13-year-old Italian schoolgirl disappeared after a gymnastics practice in Brembate di Sopra, Lombardy, Italy. Three months later, her body was found in February 2011.[1]

Yara Gambirasio
Born(1997-05-21)May 21, 1997
Brembate di Sopra, Italy
DiedNovember 26, 2010(2010-11-26) (aged 13)
Chignolo d'Isola, Italy
Cause of deathBlunt force trauma
Body discoveredFebruary 26, 2011
Known forMurder victim

Massimo Bossetti, a local construction worker, was arrested after his DNA had been found on Gambirasio's body. Bossetti pleaded not guilty to the abduction and killing of Gambirasio.[2] On 1 July 2016 the Corte d'Assise of Bergamo sentenced Bossetti to life imprisonment for the crime.[2]

The search for the culprit of Gambirasio's murder was one of the most extensive in Italian criminal history.[3]

Murder edit

At 6:44 PM on 26 November 2010, Yara Gambirasio left the Brembate di Sopra, Italy sport center alone, but never reached her home 700 meters away. Her family soon called the Carabinieri,[4] but despite a search involving hundreds of volunteers, her body was not found until 26 February 2011 in Chignolo d'Isola, 10 kilometers from Brembate di Sopra. The body showed multiple superficial cuts, possibly made by a pointed object such as a nail or a knife, and a large wound on the head.

Investigation edit

In August 2011 a final autopsy report had not yet been released and not even the exact cause of death had been ascertained, but leaked details from the investigation suggested that the death was caused by the combination of a head blow (as from falling on a hard surface or being hit with a stone), at least six cut wounds (none deadly) and hypothermia. It did not appear that Gambirasio had been raped.[5] Yara's funeral took place on 28 May 2011 and was presided over by the bishop of Bergamo Francesco Beschi. The first suspect was a young Moroccan man. He was arrested on the basis of an overheard but mistranslated comment, but then he was quickly exonerated.

After a trace of genetic material was taken from the victim's underwear and leggings, forensic scientists analyzed and compared about 22,000 DNA profiles[1] and the search began for a suspect with matching DNA, referred to as "Ignoto 1" (Unknown 1, the identifying nickname given by investigators to the murderer of Gambirasio). On 16 June 2014 an Italian bricklayer living and working in the area, Massimo Giuseppe Bossetti, was arrested and accused of being the murderer, mainly by virtue of his DNA matching "Ignoto 1"'s. While the deceased father of "Ignoto 1", Giuseppe Guerinoni, who had died in 1999, was identified relatively quickly, the search for the actual suspect was much longer and complicated because he was an illegitimate son of Guerinoni - a circumstance apparently totally unknown to anyone else previously; the suspect only became the target of investigations after his mother was tested for DNA and the tests showed it likely that the suspect was one of her sons. Because the investigators wanted to observe the suspect for several months before confronting him, the DNA match of Massimo Giuseppe Bossetti with that of "Ignoto 1" was confirmed during an apparently routine breathalyzer test, which was performed specifically with the intention of obtaining Bossetti's DNA.

Bossetti consistently proclaimed his innocence, stating he suffered from nosebleeds and that someone had stolen his work tools, including a knife, an awl and a trowel, possibly blood-soiled, and that the DNA proof was fabricated, due to either excessive exposure to the weather or cross-contamination. Yet police maintained that the sample was "of excellent quality" and Bossetti was denied any chance of a plea bargain or confession, despite his charge of life imprisonment. His wife confirmed his alibi, but she was not believed, also based on some phone recordings.[6]

In January 2015, a scientific adviser to the court stated that the MtDNA of "Ignoto 1" might not match that of Bossetti, and that there might be the possibility of an error. According to rumors, as early as July 2013, the DNA showed no correspondence with the genetic maternal line of Massimo Bossetti (a fact explained with a comparison error among thousands of samples), while that correspondence was found after a further analysis on the illegitimate child - after the suggestion of an acquaintance - of Ester Arzuffi (the mother of the suspect). If Bossetti appears to be Guerinoni's son, there are still doubts even on the nuclear DNA and its correspondence with the profile of the suspect. The attorney refused, however, to question the evidence, as requested by the lawyers of Bossetti, who have repeated several times the request for release of their client, and asked to declare him not guilty in a future trial. Bossetti's lawyer said that «there is an obvious anomaly, the mitochondrial DNA does not match the nuclear DNA. This should at least make us raise a question: whether the whole process which led to the identification of DNA has been done with the most absolute correctness, or not».[7][8][9][10]

An instructor at the gym, Silvia Brena, has been the focus of attention of Bossetti's defence. Her blood was found on the sleeves of Yara's jacket, identified by DNA. On the night of Yara's disappearance, Silvia Brena's father has said that she cried all night, although she has given no reason for this. Under questioning she said that she remembered nothing and could not explain why she and her brother had sent text messages to each other at the time of Yara's disappearance which they had almost immediately deleted without deleting other messages sent before and after.[11][12]

Aftermath edit

On 1 July 2016 the Corte d'Assise of Bergamo sentenced Bossetti to life imprisonment.[2] In July 2017 the Corte d'Assise d'Appello di Brescia upheld the verdict. On 12 October 2018 the Court of Cassation confirmed Bossetti's life sentence.

In November 2019, Bossetti's defence lawyers asked for a review of the DNA evidence. In March 2021 their request was not accepted because there was not any more DNA to be analysed.[13]

This led in December 2022 to an investigation of Letizia Ruggeri accused of misdirection and trial fraud.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Povoledo, Elisabetta (27 July 2014). "In Search for Killer, DNA Sweep Exposes Intimate Family Secrets in Italy (Published 2014)". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Acosta, Nicole (2 July 2016). "DNA evidence and family secrets snare Italian child murderer". The Guardian.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ Jones, Tobias (2 January 2015). "The murder that has obsessed Italy". The Guardian.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ "Yara, il mistero dei tagli a X sulla schiena" [Yara, the mystery of the X cuts on her back]. la Repubblica.it (in Italian). 12 March 2011.
  5. ^ "Archivio Corriere della Sera". archivio.corriere.it. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  6. ^ "Yara Gambirasio, genetista: "Dna certo". Legali Bossetti presenteranno ricorso" [Yara Gambirasio, geneticist: “Certain DNA”. Bossetti lawyers will appeal]. Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). 23 September 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  7. ^ Adnkronos (19 December 2020). "Caso Yara, salta la prova regina. Per il consulente della Procura il Dna mitocondriale non è di Bossetti". Adnkronos. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Yara, parla la Procura: «Quel Dna è di Bossetti»". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 28 January 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  9. ^ Yara, legale Bossetti: "Il dna non è il suo"
  10. ^ "Yara, l'avvocato Salvagni: ecco lo sporco gioco contro Bossetti - Panorama". www.panorama.it (in Italian). Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  11. ^ "Processo a Bossetti, le strane amnesie delle amiche di Yara - Italia - Libero Quotidiano". www.liberoquotidiano.it. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  12. ^ "bomba sul caso yara: il dna della sua insegnante trovato sulla giacca, e'sangue". www.dagospia.com. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  13. ^ "Yara: Difesa, richiesta revisione prima analisi reperti - Lombardia". 14 January 2021.

Further information edit

  • Bella, Salvo (2014). Yara, orrori e depistaggi. Gruppo Edicom. ISBN 9788882363482.
  • Unknown Male Number 1, documentary about the case
  • Yara (2021), a Netflix film

External links edit

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