Pavia prosecutors question former RIS commander Garofano ahead of 28 September Garlasco probe deadline

Interrogation of former forensic commander

On 25 September 2026, the Pavia prosecutor's office questioned retired Carabinieri General Luciano Garofano as part of the final investigative steps in the reopened murder investigation of Chiara Poggi. Garofano commanded the Carabinieri Scientific Investigation Department (RIS) in 2007 when Poggi was killed at her home in Garlasco. Deputy prosecutor Stefano Civardi questioned Garofano for approximately 90 minutes as a person informed of the facts. Prosecutors also questioned other former RIS officers who conducted the original forensic examinations at the crime scene in 2007. Garofano previously served as a technical consultant for suspect Andrea Sempio's defense team until September 2025. Following the questioning, Garofano declined to discuss the specifics of the session.

I confirm the meeting, but I cannot reveal anything. I make no comments on the investigation, then you can deduce. Let us wait for the 415-bis.

Re-examination of 2007 forensic evidence

The questioning occurs as prosecutors review the physical evidence and analytical methods applied during the initial 2007 investigation. Since March 2025, the Pavia investigative team and the Carabinieri Investigative Unit of Milan have reviewed the case records, focusing on errors and omissions in the original case files. The revised inquiry redirected investigative attention away from Alberto Stasi toward Sempio, who faces allegations of aggravated murder. Investigators commissioned four supplementary technical evaluations from forensic specialists to reassess key physical findings from the crime scene in via Pascoli. Three of these four expert evaluations have reached prosecutors, with the first arriving on 7 September 2026 and two more on 23 September 2026.

Technical findings on DNA and footwear prints

The deposited expert reports address forensic discrepancies that have remained contested since 2007. Geneticist Carlo Previderè submitted a report re-evaluating the DNA extracted from the victim's fingernails, which prosecution consultants previously matched to the paternal line of Sempio and which had formed the subject of a pre-trial evidentiary hearing. Forensic pathologist Cristina Cattaneo provided an anthropometric assessment of Sempio's physical measurements. In addition, experts Giampaolo Iuliano and Nicola Caprioli submitted a supplementary study analyzing the dotted shoe print found on the floor of the Poggi residence. This print, linked to a Frau brand shoe, involves a discrepancy between Sempio's stated shoe size of 44 in 2007 and subsequent measurements recording size 42–43.

Procedural deadlines and indictment timeline

Pavia Chief Prosecutor Fabio Napoleone established a formal deadline of 28 September 2026 to complete the preliminary investigation. Prosecutors are awaiting the fourth and final report, a psychiatric assessment assigned to Roberto Catanesi, before concluding the investigative phase. Following receipt of the final report, the prosecution will notify Sempio's defense team of a second formal notice of investigation closure under article 415-bis of the Italian code of criminal procedure. This follows an earlier closure notice issued on 8 May 2026. After receiving the notification, defense lawyers will have a 20-day window to file their own technical reports and counter-arguments before prosecutors determine whether to request a trial indictment for the 38-year-old suspect.