Palermo dog fight ends in stabbing: Accused acquitted of attempted murder, defendant sentenced to 1 year and 8 months.

He had been arrested on charges of attempted murder of his neighbor, at the end of an argument that broke out in the Borgo Nuovo district of Palermo over a puppy. But the judge, Paolo Magro, sentenced Michele Mercurio to one year and 8 months (against the 4 years requested by the prosecutor) reclassifying the offense as assault – as requested by the lawyers Salvino and Giada Caputo and Francesca Fucaloro – while he was acquitted of the charge of carrying and possession of a weapon. The sentence was issued with an abbreviated trial, which entitles to a one-third sentence reduction.

The incident dates back to June 29, 2023 and took place in Largo Castelbuono, in Borgo Nuovo. Mercurio, an animal lover and guardian of a cat breeding, had asked Puleo – a known criminal on house arrest, known in the neighborhood for being a violent and aggressive individual and addicted to drugs – to return a puppy that he had previously given him. After previous insults in the days before, Puleo had attacked Mercurio with a hoe and then with a wooden club. Puleo had knocked down his opponent as in a wrestling match and had straddled him trying to choke him. At this point, Mercurio, in panic, had pulled out a diving knife from the back pocket of his pants and had struck the acquaintance in the neck and chest. But immediately after, in front of the injured rival, he had called 911.

The forensic doctors, appointed by the prosecutor, had pointed out that the blows inflicted were near vital organs, while the defense consultants had shown that Puleo was never in a life-threatening situation and that no vital function had been compromised.