Turin court denies sentence deferral for jeweler Mario Roggero pending pardon decision

Turin court rejects deferral

The Turin surveillance court has rejected an application for sentence deferral submitted by the defense team of 72-year-old jeweler Mario Roggero. Roggero is serving a definitive prison sentence of 14 years and nine months after being convicted of killing two robbers and seriously wounding a third. His legal representatives requested that the execution of his sentence be postponed while Italian President Sergio Mattarella reviews a petition for presidential clemency. In the alternative, the defense requested that Roggero be granted house arrest. The general prosecutor opposed the petition, and the court ruled that Roggero must remain incarcerated at the Bollate facility near Milan.

The 2021 robbery in Grinzane Cavour

The conviction stems from an attempted robbery on 28 April 2021 at Roggero's family jewelry store in Grinzane Cavour, in the province of Cuneo. During the raid, three robbers tied up and struck Roggero's wife and daughter while threatening them with a firearm that was later identified as a toy weapon. When the robbers fled into the street carrying stolen items, Roggero pursued them outside with his legally registered firearm. He opened fire on the fleeing group, killing two of the men and leaving a third seriously injured. The judicial proceedings concluded with a final sentence of nearly 15 years for intentional homicide.

Judicial reasoning and clemency process

Roggero entered Bollate prison on 17 July 2026, the same day his wife Mariangela Sandrone submitted an official plea for clemency to the Quirinale. Surveillance magistrate Elena Massucco previously ruled on 22 July 2026 that the defense had failed to demonstrate the necessary urgency or extraordinary circumstances required for an emergency suspension. In their ruling on 14 September 2026, the Turin surveillance judges noted that deferring a sentence during a clemency review is a rare measure with minimal precedent. The panel concluded that granting a suspension without clear legal justification would represent an improper intrusion into the constitutional prerogatives of the head of state. Justice Minister Carlo Nordio had previously opened an administrative review of the clemency request, prompting President Mattarella to remind the government that clemency decisions rest solely with the presidency under the Italian constitution.

Roggero described his perspective in an interview while awaiting a decision on the pardon request.

My hope is that President Mattarella examines the request for clemency with great attention and humanity, beyond and above the controversies that have marked my case.

Reactions and political debate

The legal case has drawn sustained attention across Italian politics, dividing public opinion on the boundaries of self-defense. Senator Giorgio Bergesio of the Lega party visited Roggero in Bollate, expressing personal solidarity and describing the jeweler's conduct in prison as calm and cooperative. In contrast, Naples prosecutor Nicola Gratteri spoke critically of the political campaign surrounding the conviction during an appearance at the Festa del Fatto Quotidiano. Gratteri stated that public support for Roggero overlooked the factual findings of the court proceedings.

Roggero shot the two robbers when they were running away, he shot them in the back. That is called an execution.

The Milan surveillance court is scheduled to address remaining jurisdictional filings connected to the case on 16 September 2026.