Marcello Lonzi. Died in prison with 8 broken ribs and 2 holes in his head – heart attack.

The death penalty was abolished by the Constitution in 1948. However, every year more than 100 prisoners die in mysterious circumstances. For example, a young man can die from a heart attack in Livorno, according to the prison doctor, with eight broken ribs, two broken teeth, two holes in his head, with a fractured jaw, sternum and wrist. Heart attack, not as a result of being beaten up. Marcello Lonzi, a young man, was convicted of attempted theft and sentenced to 9 months in prison. His mother wants the truth and apologies from the State who should have taken care of the life of her son.

Interview with Maria Ciuffi, mother of Marcello Lonzi:
Eight broken ribs and two holes in his head – heart attack
”My name is Maria Ciuffi, I am the mother of Marcello Lonzi, who died on 11 July 2003 in the “Le Sughere” prison in Livorno. He was arrested for attempted theft and got 9 months in prison. After 4 months, my son was dead. No one told me. I was not notified by the Carabinieri nor by the Police, but just by my aunt on 12 July at 1:20 pm, when they came to the house to tell me, saying that my son was dead. I said: “It’s impossible. There’s a mistake!” I immediately ran to the prison and after an hour and a half – I remember it really well - in the hot sun – they came to tell me that my son was not there – but that they were already doing the autopsy on his body. Naturally I was in a great state, I was very confused and at that moment, I didn’t think to get hold of an expert to work for me. In September the PM – the Magistrate who carried out the investigation – came back from holiday and I was told that he died from a heart attack. However, when I saw him on 13 July in the coffin what didn’t seem right… what struck me straight away were the three marks that he had on his face and those three marks were very deep. Then friends wanted to put a bandana on him - a head band round his forehead, and we noticed that he had a hole, because a finger went inside. I waited for September/October to see if they would give me some responses, the magistrate was Dr Roberto Pennisi and he was still telling me that my son died of a heart attack or he died of stress, as it said on the pathologist’s report. In 2004, everything was finished with the death from natural causes: now I, in possession of the pathologist’s report, in which I can see it says that there are two broken ribs, a fractured jaw (left) the sternum fractured, a V-shaped excoriation, basically death from a heart attack, an infarct, seems strange to me. Anyway it was all concluded on 10 December. At that time I had the Naples lawyer Vittorio Trupiano, and at that point he said to me: “Look Maria, there’s nothing to be done, the only thing that could be done to get the case reopened is if you want, but however you are taking a risk, is to present a denunciation to the magistrate in Bologna, or Florence or Genoa.” OK, I went to Genoa, and I presented a denunciation to magistrate Pennisi. After about four months I was summoned to Genoa and Dr Fenizia of Genoa closed the denunciation to the magistrate Pennisi and had me reopen the case with the Livorno Prosecutors’ Office and he said that based on the photo, they have to do further investigations, because there was something that didn’t make sense.
In 2006, my son’s body was re-exhumed and they discover that it’s not two but eight ribs and there’s not just a single hole in his head but two holes, one of which was as deep as the bone and they even find the dark blue paint from the cell attached. They also find the left wrist fractured, that the first pathologist, Alessandro Bassi Luciani hadn’t talked about. At this point, talking to my lawyer, he said “Here there’s something that doesn’t make sense, these are blows”, because from the photo you can see they are blows, however, what I noticed is that they have closed the case again and now in 2010, unknown to us I was summoned for 25 May and instead on 19 May I was called by some Livorno journalist who said: “Signora Ciuffi, the Chief Procurator Francesco De Leo has asked for the case to be closed”. I said: “That’s impossible, because I have been summoned for 25 May by Dr Giaconi, the one carrying out the investigations”. However, unfortunately it was true.