Asti court sentences tyre dealer to 8 years for killing 20-year-old Matilde Baldi; co-defendant acquitted, race theory rejected

What happened on the motorway

On the evening of 11 December 2025, Matilde Baldi, a 20-year-old student and shop assistant, was travelling with her mother Elvia Pia in a Fiat 500 on the A33 Asti-Cuneo motorway near Montegrosso. The small car was moving in the middle lane at approximately 73 km/h. Behind it, a Porsche GT3 RS driven by Franco Vacchina, a tyre dealer from Asti, approached at a speed of around 200 km/h. A second high-performance car, driven by Davide Bertello, followed just one second behind.

Vacchina lost control and slammed into the Fiat 500. Pia suffered serious injuries; her daughter died five days later in an Alessandria hospital. The family authorised organ donation. Bertello swerved into the emergency lane at the last moment and avoided the collision.

The investigation and obstruction

In the month after the crash, Vacchina was placed under house arrest not only because of the fatal crash but also because of repeated attempts to interfere with the investigation. He first tried to have his Porsche removed from the scene by a passing tow truck. Later he repeatedly visited the judicial impound lot and even offered money to an operator to access the car’s control unit, prompting the traffic police to move the vehicle to a different location.

Court rejects clandestine race

At a fast-track trial on 24 July 2026, prosecutor Sara Paterno argued that the two Porsche drivers were engaged in a clandestine race and requested a 10-year sentence for Vacchina and 5 years for Bertello. Vacchina contended he had simply waited for the Fiat 500 to complete an overtaking manoeuvre, then accelerated; he said the automatic transmission downshifted two gears and the car’s power (over 600 hp) caused the loss of control. Bertello maintained that he did not take part in any race and had met Vacchina only the day of the incident.

Presiding judge Matteo Bertelli Motta did not accept the race theory. The court convicted Vacchina of road homicide and sentenced him to 8 years. Bertello was acquitted of the failure-to-assist charge. The full reasoning will be filed in September.

Family reaction and next steps

The Baldi family, represented by lawyer Pierpaolo Berardi, expressed disappointment with the acquittal of Bertello and the rejection of the race hypothesis. Matilde’s boyfriend, Francesco Tozaj, had joined the proceedings as a civil party. The defence teams, Ferruccio Rattazzi and Giacomo Francini for Vacchina, Michele Galasso for Bertello, said they would await the written judgment before commenting further.