Legal seeks release of relative accused of murder for inheritance. Hearing in Catania.

Last Updated: March 12, 2024

The hearing on the request for the annulment of the precautionary measure issued by the judge against Paola Pepe, the 58-year-old under house arrest accused of fraud against incapacitated persons and aggravated homicide of her 80-year-old great-aunt Maria Basso, took place in front of the Court of Review of Catania. The request was presented and argued in court by the woman’s lawyer, Carmelo Peluso. The Catania Prosecutor’s Office has maintained its position, requesting confirmation of the precautionary measure. According to the accusation, based on investigations by the Carabinieri of Aci Castello, the suspect allegedly caused the death of the woman to inherit her estate. This was done by making her eat spaghetti and dessert, which she could not eat due to a serious illness that required her to consume homogenized products. This reconstruction was disputed by lawyer Peluso, explaining that the two women had affection and understanding between them, as Maria Basso considered Paola Pepe a “missed daughter” and they had taken trips and vacations together. “If Mrs. Basso died from ingesting solid food,” the attorney emphasized, “it must be noted that one cannot kill a dysphagic person by making them eat spaghetti because they cannot swallow them. She ate crushed and mashed spaghetti just as she had done dozens of times before.”