Agrigento: Di Falco murder case – attempted murder charge stands

Last Updated: March 16, 2024

Delitto Di Falco ad Agrigento, i tre indagati restano in carcere

The accusation of murder “by mistake” has been dropped, while the charges of attempted murder and illegal possession of weapons remain. The Palermo court of review, ruling on the appeal of the defense lawyers Giovanni Castronovo, Santo Lucia, and Antonio Ragusa, overturned the main charge against the three suspects in the shooting that took place on February 28 in a car dealership in Villaggio Mosè, a fraction of Agrigento.

The victim is Roberto Di Falco, a thirty-seven-year-old from Palma, who was shot dead on that Friday evening in the abdomen. The suspects are Angelo Di Falco, 39 years old, the brother of the victim, Calogero Zarbo, 40 years old, and Domenico Avanzato, 37 years old, all from Palma. The prosecution believes it was a punitive expedition that went wrong. In particular, the merchant allegedly had a debt with Roberto Di Falco related to the sale of cars that was paid to him with a bounced check.

Furthermore, the victim himself worked in the car trading sector. The dealership owner, who was reportedly attacked by the four men while he was inside a car, had the presence of mind to move the gun with his hand while Roberto Di Falco tried to shoot him, fatally injuring him in an attempt to defend himself. “It’s a move – he told the mobile team – that I learned when I was in the military.”

Hence the challenge to the accusation of murder “by mistake” immediately contested by the defense and now denied by the court of review. However, the judges confirmed the pretrial detention in prison for all of them on charges of attempted murder against the son of the dealership owner, whom Angelo Di Falco allegedly tried to shoot after his brother fell to the ground after being shot, and for the illegal possession of a weapon. The intended victim in this case reportedly survived because the gun jammed. The defense has always argued that the four men from Palma went to the dealership to beat up the owner – surveillance camera footage clearly shows this – and that the owner pulled out the gun (not found) and fired, killing Roberto Di Falco.