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🇮🇹 Italy /Crime & Justice

Italian Judge's Death Four Years Ago Now Investigated as Homicide

From ANSA · () Italian

Translated from Italian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Italian prosecutors are investigating the death of a judge, Francesca Ercolini, as a potential homicide, four years after she was found dead.
  • New forensic analysis raises doubts about the initial suicide ruling, suggesting her death may have been staged.
  • Investigators are re-examining evidence, including signs on her neck and the scene of her death, with further technical assessments planned.

The investigation into the death of Italian judge Francesca Ercolini, found lifeless in her Pesaro home on December 26, 2022, has shifted from suicide to potential homicide. The L'Aquila prosecutor's office is now leading the inquiry, which involves at least two of the six individuals initially investigated, including Ercolini's husband and the doctor who performed the first autopsy.

The hypothesis of a voluntary act is beginning to falter, and the L'Aquila prosecutor's office itself certifies this, now also investigating for homicide in the case of the Molise judge Francesca Ercolini, found lifeless in her Pesaro home on December 26, 2022.

— Prosecutor's OfficeThis quote reflects the shift in the investigation's focus from suicide to potential homicide.

A 450-page forensic report by Professor Vittorio Fineschi has cast serious doubt on the initial conclusion of suicide. Key elements raising suspicion include marks on Ercolini's neck that do not appear consistent with the silk scarf found tied to the staircase railing. Investigators also suspect the scene may have been staged.

While strangulation is considered a plausible scenario, experts are divided on whether the lamps' cords found in the apartment could have been used. Fineschi has requested further measurements to clarify this. Forensic experts are scheduled to revisit Ercolini's home for additional technical assessments. The parties involved will reconvene before the preliminary investigations judge in L'Aquila on September 22.

The 450-page report... raises serious doubts about whether the magistrate committed suicide.

— Prosecutor's OfficeThis highlights the critical forensic evidence that challenges the initial suicide conclusion.

Ercolini, originally from Campobasso, was initially believed to have died by suicide by hanging. Her husband and then 16-year-old son reportedly found her. Emergency services arrived to find her deceased on the floor. The initial medical examiner and investigators agreed on a voluntary act. However, new evidence suggests a different narrative. The case has seen six individuals investigated for offenses ranging from obstruction of justice to ideological falsehood and violation of investigative secrecy. Ercolini's body was exhumed a year ago and is currently in Rome for further examination.

In primis the signs on the woman's neck would not be compatible with those that the silk strip found knotted to the railing of the internal staircase of the house should have left. And then the scene reconstructed in the Pesaro house could have been simulated.

— Prosecutor's OfficeThis details specific suspicious elements found at the scene that contradict the suicide theory.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ANSA in Italian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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