The killing of Martina Carbonaro

On May 25, 2025, 14-year-old Martina Carbonaro was killed by her ex-boyfriend Alessio Tucci in Afragola, near Naples. He struck her with a stone and left her to die near a sports field. Tucci later confessed and is currently on trial for murder before the Assize Court of Naples. The trial's first hearing was held on May 19, 2026.

Threats and a prosecution request

During that hearing, tensions erupted and the victim's parents, Marcello Carbonaro and Enza Cossentino, allegedly directed threats at members of Tucci's family present in the courtroom. The defendant's relatives filed formal complaints describing incidents that occurred both during the hearing and after it. Based on those complaints, the North Naples Prosecutor's Office asked a judge to issue a personal preventive measure: a restraining order that would bar the grieving parents from approaching any member of Tucci's family. The request, made public on July 25, 2026, seeks a complete ban on contact. Prosecutors argue that the conduct created a real risk warranting the measure.

"The state kills her a second time"

Sergio Pisani, the attorney for Marcello Carbonaro and Enza Cossentino, issued a statement condemning the move. He said:

“Thus the State kills Martina a second time: the pain of two parents cannot be turned into a crime.”

Pisani acknowledged that the words spoken may have been harsh, but insisted that criminal law demands evaluation of context before words. He cited Court of Cassation rulings stating that a threat must be examined in light of the concrete circumstances, and that a judge must verify whether the expressions were truly capable of instilling fear. He noted that the same jurisprudence has consistently excluded liability when phrases are an emotional outburst or made in a setting that negates an actual intimidating intent. Pisani stressed that the parents are not criminals with a persecutory plan; they are two people whose daughter was "barbarically killed" and who have lived with devastating pain for over a year.

A family left alone by institutions

Pisani argued that the state had fallen short of its duties under European legislation on victims' protection, which mandates psychological and human assistance for indirect victims of crime. He has repeatedly spoken on television about the parents' complete isolation. On July 25, he renewed his appeal to the Minister of Justice to "intervene immediately in support of these parents" and to investigate why two indirect victims of a homicide were left without any support. Instead of counselling, they now face a precautionary measure based on conduct that, he said, "deserve to be read in their real human and psychological context."

What happens next

A court hearing on the restraining-order request has been set for August 3, 2026. The judge will interrogate the parents and then decide whether to grant the ban. The murder trial of Alessio Tucci continues in parallel.