Giovanni Camassa appeals life sentence for Angela Petrachi murder

Giovanni Camassa, an Italian farmer serving a life sentence for the 2002 murder and sexual assault of Angela Petrachi, has appealed to the Supreme Court of Cassation. This legal move follows a decision by the Court of Appeal of Catanzaro to reject his request for a sentence revision.

Camassa, who was arrested in May 2003, has maintained his innocence since his arrest. While he was initially acquitted in the first instance due to an alibi and lack of motive, his conviction was overturned on appeal and subsequently upheld by the Cassation Court in 2014.

The defense's request for a revision was based on new genetic testing. They cited the absence of Camassa’s biological traces on evidence and the presence of another man’s DNA profile on the victim’s clothing. However, the Court of Appeal dismissed these findings, stating the DNA belonged to the victim’s ex-husband and was likely due to domestic contamination. The court also ruled that the absence of Camassa’s DNA was a neutral factor, potentially due to the time elapsed before the body was discovered.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to examine the appeal during a hearing on November 20.