Naples police investigations yield major breakthroughs in cold cases

Italian authorities have achieved significant progress in two long-standing criminal investigations in Naples.

The Court of Cassation has upheld a 30-year prison sentence for Salvatore Allard, one of the perpetrators involved in the 1986 killing of police officer Domenico Attianese. Attianese was shot in the back of the head while attempting to prevent a robbery at the Romanelli jewelry store in the Pianura district. The case, which had become a cold case, was reopened through new investigative techniques that identified a fingerprint on a jewelry box linked to Allard.

In a separate development, investigators have made arrests in the 2009 murder of Mariano Bacioterracino, who was killed in a cafe in the Sanità district. Oscar Pecorelli and an alleged associate have been arrested following an investigation by the Naples District Anti-Mafia Directorate. The new findings aim to clarify roles within the criminal organization, moving beyond previous theories that had led to the acquittal of a former suspect due to insufficient forensic evidence.