Italian Businesswoman Gets 18 Years for Killing Purse Thief with SUV

An Italian businesswoman has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for a brutal act of revenge after her purse was stolen. Cinzia Dal Pino, 65, was found guilty of murder after she used her Mercedes SUV to run down and kill Noureddine Mezgui, 52, who had snatched her bag as she left a restaurant in Viareggio in September 2024.

Witnesses reported seeing Dal Pino pursue Mezgui after the theft. Surveillance footage captured the moment she rammed him with her vehicle, knocking him to the ground. She then proceeded to reverse and drive over him multiple times before exiting her car to retrieve her purse, leaving the scene as if nothing had happened.

Emergency services arrived to find Mezgui deceased. During her trial, Dal Pino claimed she acted out of fear for her life and only intended to recover her belongings, which included important documents and her phone. She stated that Mezgui had threatened her with a knife, preventing her from calling the police.

However, the court was not convinced by her defense. Police found no knife on Mezgui, and prosecutors argued her actions were disproportionate. Her defense team attempted to argue that the initial impact was fatal, making the subsequent run-overs irrelevant. Despite her claims of self-defense and a desire to simply retrieve her property, the court ultimately deemed her actions a murderous act of retribution.

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I was afraid. I didn't want to kill him, just to get my things back. I had important documents in my bag and I couldn't call the police because the phone was there.