The story of a young woman's death, a disputed conviction and how new evidence raises serious questions about Italy's justice system.The Garlasco murder case which has gripped Italy for almost two decades has been reopened as investigators review fresh DNA evidence found under the fingernails of the victim, Chiara Poggi.Commentators suggest that the dramatic reopening of the high-profile case could potentially prove a major miscarriage of justice and ultimately lead to the exoneration of Poggi's boyfriend, Alberto Stasi, who was jailed for the crime but has always maintained his innocence. The case remains a subject of intense public debate in Italy as defence lawyers pursue new DNA testing and alternative leads in a bid to candrea semhallenge the finality of the conviction, with attention now focused on suspect Andrea Sempio, a friend of Poggi's younger brother Marco. Prosecutors allege that Sempio, now aged 39, stabbed Poggi to death after she rejected a sexual advance by him, charges that he denies. Timeline of events 13 August 2007. Chiara Poggi, 26, a university graduate working in an office, is found beaten to death in the basement of her home in Garlasco, a small town in the northern province of Pavia, located 50 km south of Milan. Her family are on holiday. Her boyfriend, Alberto Stasi, calls the emergency services, telling them he found her body after she failed to answer repeated phone calls. A post-mortem establishes the time of death as between 10.30 and 13.00, most likely around 11.00-11.30. Investigators note several early procedural errors: Stasi's shoes are not seized until the following day; no fingerprints are taken from Poggi; and the body is not weighed - a standard step for establishing time of death with precision. September 2007. A neighbour reports seeing a black bicycle leaning against the garden gate of the Poggi home on the morning of the murder. A black bicycle belonging to Stasi is seized, along with his computer. Stasi is arrested on 24 September but released shortly afterwards. 2009. Stasi's trial begins via rito abbreviato (fast-track proceedings). The presiding judge orders further expert analysis, finding the existing forensic evidence inconclusive. A key question: could someone have walked across a blood-soaked floor without leaving traces on their shoes? Expert testimony suggests this was possible. Stasi is acquitted. 2011. The acquittal is upheld on appeal. 18 April 2013. Italy's Court of Cassation annuls the appeal verdict and orders a new trial. New scrutiny falls on Stasi's bicycle: its pedals are found to have been replaced, prompting speculation - ultimately unproven - that he had swapped them to conceal biological traces. 2014. A fresh expert analysis concludes there is only a one-in-a-million chance that someone could walk through the crime scene without acquiring blood traces on their shoes. Separately, investigators examining photographs of the crime scene discover the imprint of a bloodied hand on Poggi's pyjamas overlooked for seven years. Combined with a fingerprint of Stasi's found on a soap dispenser in the bathroom, the court concludes that the killer washed their hands after the attack. Stasi is convicted of voluntary homicide and sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment. 12 December 2015. The Court of Cassation confirms Stasi's conviction. He begins serving his sentence at Bollate prison near Milan. No murder weapon is ever found. No clear motive is established; judges refer only to an unexplained "fit of rage". December 2016. Stasi's defence team presents new DNA analysis suggesting that genetic material found under Poggi's fingernails - previously thought to be unidentifiable - may belong to a known acquaintance of the victim. Prosecutors in Pavia open a new investigation. 2 March 2017. The new investigation - targeting Andrea Sempio, a friend of Poggi's younger brother Marco - is archived. Investigators determine the DNA quantity is insufficient for a reliable comparison. 11 March 2025. The Pavia prosecutor's office formally reopens the case against Sempio, now 38. Advanced forensic techniques have re-examined the DNA sample found under Poggi's fingernails. Prosecutors register Sempio as a suspect for murder in concert (omicidio in concorso). April 2025. The initial theory of murder in concert is superseded. The Pavia prosecutor's office now believes Sempio may have been the sole person present in the Via Pascoli house on the morning of the killing. 6 May 2026. Sempio is summoned for questioning at the Pavia prosecutor's office. He exercises his legal right to remain silent. The hearing - broadcast live and surrounded by media - lasts four hours. Separately, Marco Poggi, Chiara's brother and Sempio's friend, is questioned as a witness. He tells prosecutors he does not believe in Sempio's guilt and states that he never saw any intimate video of his sister in Sempio's company. Case that has gripped Italy The murder of Chiara Poggi has become one of the defining criminal sagas of modern Italy, a case that exposed profound weaknesses in forensic procedure, judicial process and media conduct. From the outset, the investigation was marred by errors. Stasi's shoes - critical potential evidence - were not collected until a full 48 hours after the body was discovered. The victim's own fingerprints were never taken, requiring her body to be exhumed at a later date. The scales necessary to weigh the body and establish a precise time of death were unavailable at the Pavia mortuary. The subsequent legal proceedings were equally turbulent. Stasi was acquitted twice before being convicted on the third attempt - a sequence that veteran Italian journalist Gianni Riotta, former head of the state broadcaster RAI's flagship news programme, described to Reuters this week as "clearly a travesty of justice". "The trial was a circus. There were so many holes in the case, and yet they got a conviction," he said. The trials were among the first in Italy to rely almost entirely on scientific and forensic evidence, a characteristic that proved both their novelty and their undoing. The central forensic dispute - whether a person could traverse a blood-soaked floor without leaving traces - produced conflicting expert conclusions across multiple proceedings. New evidence and a new suspect The investigation's present form centres on several strands of fresh evidence that emerged from re-examination of material collected in 2007. DNA under the fingernails. The most significant development concerns the genetic material recovered from beneath Poggi's fingernails at autopsy. Initially deemed insufficient for reliable comparison, this sample has now been re-analysed using more advanced techniques. Prosecutors assert the profile is compatible with Sempio. His defence disputes this. "Imprint 33". A fingerprint found on a wall near Poggi's body - known in the case file as impronta 33 - has been attributed to Sempio by investigators. It was, however, excluded from formal evidentiary proceedings (incidente probatorio) by the examining judge. Stasi's computer. Forensic consultants acting for the Poggi family have undertaken a fresh analysis of Stasi's personal computer, claiming to have recovered data that had been obscured by incorrect procedures carried out by the carabinieri in 2007. Advanced software reportedly allowed them to reconstruct a detailed chronology of activity on the machine. Forensic reconstruction of the crime scene. Criminologist Roberta Bruzzone conducted an inspection of the Via Pascoli house, examining whether Stasi's account of discovering the body was consistent with the physical evidence. Her analysis reportedly identified anomalies concerning a folding internal door, which she contends could not be opened in the manner Stasi described, and noted the absence of fingerprints in locations where they would be expected. The time of death. A new medico-legal expert report has cast doubt on the established time of Poggi's death, with potential implications for the alibi timelines of all parties. Corruption allegations. In a significant parallel development, Sempio's father has been placed under investigation for alleged corruption - specifically, the suspicion that he allegedly paid money to a former prosecutor to have his son's name removed from the original list of suspects. The family denies the allegation. Hearing of 6 May 2026 The interrogation of Andrea Sempio at the Pavia prosecutor's office drew blanket media coverage. Shown live on Italian television, his arrival by car was met by a large gathering of journalists. His legal team confirmed in advance that he would decline to answer questions. After the four-hour hearing, during which Sempio maintained his silence, his lawyer told Sky TG24 that her client had "never seen intimate videos of Chiara Poggi" and had not heard any of the intercepted audio recordings referred to by prosecutors. A separate intercept, recorded in April 2025 via a covert listening device placed in Sempio's car while he was alone, has emerged as a focus of the new investigation. In the recording, Sempio reportedly says: "I saw the video of Alberto and Chiara," before alluding to having "made an approach" towards Poggi that "she rejected." His lawyer contests this interpretation, insisting her client never viewed such material. Marco Poggi was questioned separately as a witness and stated he did not believe Sempio was responsible for his sister's death. Prosecutors are set to close their investigation imminently and request an indictment, with Sempio likely to face trial. Alberto Stasi conviction Alberto Stasi, now aged 42, remains in Bollate prison - albeit in semi-liberty as of last year - where he has been held since his conviction was confirmed in 2015. He has consistently denied killing Chiara Poggi. The renewed investigation does not automatically alter his legal status, but it has inflamed the longstanding public debate over whether the right man was convicted. As Stasi approaches the end of his sentence, the possibility that the case may yet reach a very different conclusion - with another man held responsible - has intensified the pressure on the Italian justice system to provide a clearer account of what happened on the morning of 13 August 2007.  

The Garlasco murder case which has gripped Italy for almost two decades has been reopened as investigators review fresh DNA evidence found under the fingernails of the victim, Chiara Poggi. Commentators suggest that the dramatic reopening of the high-profile case could potentially prove a major miscarriage of justice and ultimately lead to the exoneration of Poggi's boyfriend, Alberto Stasi, who was jailed for the crime but has always maintained his innocence. The case remains a subject of intense public debate in Italy as defence lawyers pursue new DNA testing and alternative leads in a bid to candrea semhallenge the finality of the conviction, with attention now focused on suspect Andrea Sempio, a friend of Poggi's younger brother Marco. Prosecutors allege that Sempio, now aged 39, stabbed Poggi to death after she rejected a sexual advance by him, charges that he denies. 13 August 2007. Chiara Poggi, 26, a university graduate working in an office, is found beaten to death in the basement of her home in Garlasco, a small town in the northern province of Pavia, located 50 km south of Milan. Her family are on holiday. Her boyfriend, Alberto Stasi, calls the emergency services, telling them he found her body after she failed to answer repeated phone calls. A post-mortem establishes the time of death as between 10.30 and 13.00, most likely around 11.00-11.30. Investigators note several early procedural errors: Stasi's shoes are not seized until the following day; no fingerprints are taken from Poggi; and the body is not weighed - a standard step for establishing time of death with precision. September 2007. A neighbour reports seeing a black bicycle leaning against the garden gate of the Poggi home on the morning of the murder. A black bicycle belonging to Stasi is seized, along with his computer. Stasi is arrested on 24 September but released shortly afterwards. 2009. Stasi's trial begins via rito abbreviato (fast-track proceedings). The presiding judge orders further expert analysis, finding the existing forensic evidence inconclusive. A key question: could someone have walked across a blood-soaked floor without leaving traces on their shoes? Expert testimony suggests this was possible. Stasi is acquitted. 2011. The acquittal is upheld on appeal. 18 April 2013. Italy's Court of Cassation annuls the appeal verdict and orders a new trial. New scrutiny falls on Stasi's bicycle: its pedals are found to have been replaced, prompting speculation - ultimately unproven - that he had swapped them to conceal biological traces. 2014. A fresh expert analysis concludes there is only a one-in-a-million chance that someone could walk through the crime scene without acquiring blood traces on their shoes. Separately, investigators examining photographs of the crime scene discover the imprint of a bloodied hand on Poggi's pyjamas overlooked for seven years. Combined with a fingerprint of Stasi's found on a soap dispenser in the bathroom, the court concludes that the killer washed their hands after the attack. Stasi is convicted of voluntary homicide and sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment. 12 December 2015. The Court of Cassation confirms Stasi's conviction. He begins serving his sentence at Bollate prison near Milan. No murder weapon is ever found. No clear motive is established; judges refer only to an unexplained "fit of rage". December 2016. Stasi's defence team presents new DNA analysis suggesting that genetic material found under Poggi's fingernails - previously thought to be unidentifiable - may belong to a known acquaintance of the victim. Prosecutors in Pavia open a new investigation. 2 March 2017. The new investigation - targeting Andrea Sempio, a friend of Poggi's younger brother Marco - is archived. Investigators determine the DNA quantity is insufficient for a reliable comparison. 11 March 2025. The Pavia prosecutor's office formally reopens the case against Sempio, now 38. Advanced forensic techniques have re-examined the DNA sample found under Poggi's fingernails. Prosecutors register Sempio as a suspect for murder in concert (omicidio in concorso). April 2025. The initial theory of murder in concert is superseded. The Pavia prosecutor's office now believes Sempio may have been the sole person present in the Via Pascoli house on the morning of the killing. 6 May 2026. Sempio is summoned for questioning at the Pavia prosecutor's office. He exercises his legal right to remain silent. The hearing - broadcast live and surrounded by media - lasts four hours. Separately, Marco Poggi, Chiara's brother and Sempio's friend, is questioned as a witness. He tells prosecutors he does not believe in Sempio's guilt and states that he never saw any intimate video of his sister in Sempio's company. The murder of Chiara Poggi has become one of the defining criminal sagas of modern Italy, a case that exposed profound weaknesses in forensic procedure, judicial process and media conduct. From the outset, the investigation was marred by errors. Stasi's shoes - critical potential evidence - were not collected until a full 48 hours after the body was discovered. The victim's own fingerprints were never taken, requiring her body to be exhumed at a later date. The scales necessary to weigh the body and establish a precise time of death were unavailable at the Pavia mortuary. The subsequent legal proceedings were equally turbulent. Stasi was acquitted twice before being convicted on the third attempt - a sequence that veteran Italian journalist Gianni Riotta, former head of the state broadcaster RAI's flagship news programme, described to Reuters this week as "clearly a travesty of justice". "The trial was a circus. There were so many holes in the case, and yet they got a conviction," he said. The trials were among the first in Italy to rely almost entirely on scientific and forensic evidence, a characteristic that proved both their novelty and their undoing. The central forensic dispute - whether a person could traverse a blood-soaked floor without leaving traces - produced conflicting expert conclusions across multiple proceedings. The investigation's present form centres on several strands of fresh evidence that emerged from re-examination of material collected in 2007. DNA under the fingernails. The most significant development concerns the genetic material recovered from beneath Poggi's fingernails at autopsy. Initially deemed insufficient for reliable comparison, this sample has now been re-analysed using more advanced techniques. Prosecutors assert the profile is compatible with Sempio. His defence disputes this. "Imprint 33". A fingerprint found on a wall near Poggi's body - known in the case file as impronta 33 - has been attributed to Sempio by investigators. It was, however, excluded from formal evidentiary proceedings (incidente probatorio) by the examining judge. Stasi's computer. Forensic consultants acting for the Poggi family have undertaken a fresh analysis of Stasi's personal computer, claiming to have recovered data that had been obscured by incorrect procedures carried out by the carabinieri in 2007. Advanced software reportedly allowed them to reconstruct a detailed chronology of activity on the machine. Forensic reconstruction of the crime scene. Criminologist Roberta Bruzzone conducted an inspection of the Via Pascoli house, examining whether Stasi's account of discovering the body was consistent with the physical evidence. Her analysis reportedly identified anomalies concerning a folding internal door, which she contends could not be opened in the manner Stasi described, and noted the absence of fingerprints in locations where they would be expected. The time of death. A new medico-legal expert report has cast doubt on the established time of Poggi's death, with potential implications for the alibi timelines of all parties. Corruption allegations. In a significant parallel development, Sempio's father has been placed under investigation for alleged corruption - specifically, the suspicion that he allegedly paid money to a former prosecutor to have his son's name removed from the original list of suspects. The family denies the allegation. The interrogation of Andrea Sempio at the Pavia prosecutor's office drew blanket media coverage. Shown live on Italian television, his arrival by car was met by a large gathering of journalists. His legal team confirmed in advance that he would decline to answer questions. After the four-hour hearing, during which Sempio maintained his silence, his lawyer told Sky TG24 that her client had "never seen intimate videos of Chiara Poggi" and had not heard any of the intercepted audio recordings referred to by prosecutors. A separate intercept, recorded in April 2025 via a covert listening device placed in Sempio's car while he was alone, has emerged as a focus of the new investigation. In the recording, Sempio reportedly says: "I saw the video of Alberto and Chiara," before alluding to having "made an approach" towards Poggi that "she rejected." His lawyer contests this interpretation, insisting her client never viewed such material. Marco Poggi was questioned separately as a witness and stated he did not believe Sempio was responsible for his sister's death. Prosecutors are set to close their investigation imminently and request an indictment, with Sempio likely to face trial. Alberto Stasi, now aged 42, remains in Bollate prison - albeit in semi-liberty as of last year - where he has been held since his conviction was confirmed in 2015. He has consistently denied killing Chiara Poggi. The renewed investigation does not automatically alter his legal status, but it has inflamed the longstanding public debate over whether the right man was convicted. As Stasi approaches the end of his sentence, the possibility that the case may yet reach a very different conclusion - with another man held responsible - has intensified the pressure on the Italian justice system to provide a clearer account of what happened on the morning of 13 August 2007.