Garofano denies RIS errors in Garlasco 2007 pedal analyses as Stasi's lawyer hits back

Garofano rejects any error

Luciano Garofano, former commander of the Parma RIS, appeared on Rai 1's Cinque minuti with Bruno Vespa on Wednesday, 14 October 2026. He defended the forensic work his unit carried out in the first investigation into the murder in Garlasco (Pavia) on 13 August 2007. Asked whether he thought he had made mistakes, he said no. Alberto Stasi was convicted in a final ruling and sentenced to 16 years, and Garofano described the analyses as a point of reference that the trials later debated before the final verdict. He also said the RIS had been discredited by a campaign against it.

No, absolutely not. I am here precisely to claim our honesty against the whole campaign to discredit me and my men of that time.

The pedal analyses and the missing data

The dispute centres on the pedal of the bicycle used by Stasi. According to the reporting, the first analyses of 19 September 2007 produced a genetic profile traceable to the victim, while two further analyses on 20 September gave negative results. Those negative results were never filed in the case record. Vespa pressed Garofano on whether he knew about them, and the former commander said it was 'presumable' that he did, adding that after 19 years many things are not remembered. He told Vespa he had no documents when he appeared before the prosecutor, and that consultants pass on only a summary while keeping the raw data available.

Garofano said the raw data were handed over only in November 2025. He maintained that records dated 17, 24 and 25 September, together with the eyewitness account of a doctor named Capra, showed that the parties' consultants had probably seen all the work completed up to that point. Other parties contest that version.

Captain Marino and the sample

Garofano's account centres on Alberto Marino, then a captain, who carried out the analyses. Garofano said Marino had probably used up the entire sample and therefore could not repeat the work after 20 September. In Marino's reading, which Garofano said he endorsed, the material was attributable to the victim and was not blood. Asked about a possible swap of samples, Garofano said it was not possible. He also told Vespa that there had been no discordant results and no DNA presence that contradicted the analyses of 19 September.

The defence's reply on Storie Italiane

On Thursday, 15 October, Antonio De Rensis, who represents Stasi, responded on Rai 1's Storie Italiane. He opened with irony aimed at the host and then said:

For me, these words are music.

De Rensis set Garofano's TV remarks against the records, in which Garofano reportedly said he could not recall seeing results after 19 September. He also noted that Garofano was heard for 24 minutes, while his collaborators were heard for hours, and he left the answer to viewers. He added that the prosecution would do what it must to establish who is lying, and that the defence would do the same.

Pavia prosecutors and the new suspect

The Pavia prosecutor's office is examining Garofano's 2007 analyses. The office has registered Andrea Sempio as a suspect, a step that could bring a new turn in the case. According to Open, Garofano was a former consultant for Sempio. Garofano's statements to the deputy prosecutor, Stefano Civardi, are central to the dispute. The timeline below sets out the dates the reporting points to.

1. Aug 13, 2007Murder in Garlasco (Pavia) for which Stasi was later convicted
2. Sep 19, 2007First pedal analyses reportedly produce a profile traceable to the victim
3. Sep 20, 2007Two further pedal analyses give negative results, never filed in the case
4. 2025-11Raw analysis data handed over, according to Garofano
5. Oct 14, 2026Garofano defends RIS work on Rai 1's Cinque minuti
6. Oct 15, 2026De Rensis responds on Rai 1's Storie Italiane