Altavilla massacre: two preachers meet their lawyer in prison, shouting their innocence

Last Updated: May 12, 2024

Strage di Altavilla, i due predicatori incontrano il loro legale in carcere e gridano la loro innocenza

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Ten hours. That’s how long the meeting lasted with Massimo Carandente and Sabrina Fina, along with their lawyer Franco Critelli and criminologist Gianni Spoletti, defense consultant. The two preachers are accused of taking part in the massacre of Altavilla Milicia, where Antonella Salamone and her children Emanuel and Kevin Barreca, aged 5 and 16, were killed during an “exorcism.” They reiterated in the meeting at the Pagliarelli prison in Palermo that they are innocent of the crimes, shifting all responsibility onto the woman’s husband, Giovanni Barreca, who was arrested along with their 16-year-old daughter.

“My clients are deeply saddened by the deaths, and deny the reconstruction presented by some media outlets, lacking in factual and legal basis,” said lawyer Critelli. “Both have rejected the label of ‘brothers of God’ and the unsubstantiated economic motive. They have reiterated that they went to Altavilla only to pray.”

The couple has given broad authority to their lawyer to assess any legal action, in all possible forums, “to safeguard their rights and interests violated by the reconstructions made in these months.”

“Trials are held in court,” added the defender, “not on television talk shows where there is not even the necessary adversarial process that would present distorted fragments of a dark story that is still to be fully clarified, with its complex and dramatic background. We are conducting in-depth investigative and criminological defense research that we will bring to the trial. During the meeting, investigative leads emerged that we will thoroughly investigate.”