Paternò sentenced to life for killing sister dishonoring family

Last Updated: March 10, 2024

Paternò, uccise la sorella perché «disonorava la famiglia»: il pg chiede la conferma dell'ergastolo per Alleruzzo

The Catania Public Prosecutor’s Office has requested, on appeal, confirmation of the life sentence of Alessandro Alleruzzo, son of the deceased historic mafia boss of Paternò, Giuseppe, for the murder of his sister Nunziatina, who was shot twice in 1995. The first-instance sentence was issued on November 14, 2022 by the Etnean Assize Court. The murder, according to the prosecution, supported in court by the prosecutor Giovannella Scaminaci, was allegedly committed because the victim was betraying her husband with members of her own clan and a rival one. The defense team, led by Giovanni Spada and Roberto D’Amelio, rejected all charges and requested the acquittal of the defendant, who was present in court. The Appeal Court has scheduled the hearing for possible replies and the deliberation for April 24th.

The woman disappeared from home on May 30, 1995. That day, her five-year-old son claimed to have seen his mother leave the house with his uncle Alessandro. According to a pentito, Alleruzzo himself allegedly “admitted to having killed his own sister to redeem the honor of the family.” The woman’s remains were found on March 25, 1998 by carabinieri from the Paternò company after two anonymous phone calls.

For the murder of his sister, Alessandro Alleruzzo, 50, was served with a pre-trial detention order executed by the Carabinieri on June 4, 2021. While in prison, he reportedly told some cellmates that he had shot Nunziatina in the head twice and then “dragged the body and thrown it into a well” to “redeem the honor of the family.”

The investigation by the Catania Dda and the inquiries by the Carabinieri of the Paternò company, following revelations from three collaborators of justice, allowed to reconstruct the dynamics and motive of the mafia cold case. Alessandro Alleruzzo is the son of the late boss Giuseppe who in the 1970s and 1980s led the Paternò group of Cosa Nostra, involved in bloody mafia feuds, linked to the Santapaola family of Catania. He is also the cousin of Santo Alleruzzo, 68, known as “the viper,” considered the leader of the clan until his latest arrest in the operation “Checkmate” by the Catania Dda. In the midst of mafia wars, boss Giuseppe Alleruzzo suffered the assassination of his wife and son, prompting him to collaborate with justice.