Bergamo murder: 18-year-old stabs rival supporter after football row
Jacopo De Simone, 18, is accused of the murder of Riccardo Claris, 26, which occurred in Bergamo following a brawl between Inter and Atalanta supporters.
Bergamo, 26-year-old supporter killed by stabbing after row between rival ultras
According to reports from ilgiorno.it, Saturday night ended in bloodshed in Bergamo: Jacopo De Simone, 18, is held in prison in Brescia charged with voluntary manslaughter aggravated by trivial motives for stabbing Riccardo "Ricky" Claris, 26, who died on the spot despite attempts by emergency responders to save him.
The judge for preliminary investigations confirmed the arrest, finding that the trigger for the incident was rooted in a discussion linked to football rivalry between the two groups — supporters of Inter on one side, Atalanta on the other — clarifying that these were not organised fan groups.
The evening at Reef Cafe
Everything began at Reef Cafe on via Borgo Santa Caterina, a venue frequented by Atalanta sympathisers and located not far from the stadium. De Simone was there with seven friends, including his twin brother Valerio and his girlfriend. After stepping out to smoke a cigarette, he had sung an Inter chant. According to the accused's account, the victim was among those who had uttered remarks such as: "We're in Bergamo here, you can't do things like that. Ugly bastard."
Some witnesses reported hearing insults such as "Bloody Inter fans, filthy, cursed Inter supporter". The judge writes that the origin of the clash is to be found precisely in "a slight or in a discussion related to the different team supported by the two groups".
The flight and mother's intervention
De Simone's group leaves the bar and heads towards home, on via Ghirardelli. On via dei Celestini the youths notice they are being pursued by around twenty people. The accused stated that some of them were wielding chains and crowbars, threatening to kill them; a circumstance that at present has not yet been confirmed in the case records.
De Simone and four friends reach the dwelling, where his mother is present. The woman had already sensed danger when her son had returned: she had hidden the knives in the house, then had come down to the street to drive away the rival group.
The stabbing
The 18-year-old comes back down and finds his mother arguing with the "rivals". He shouts at the youths to go away, but some — including Claris — approach. According to De Simone's account, the victim was attempting to strike him with a chain; he would have dodged the blows and, in that moment, drew a knife and struck Riccardo Claris. The blow, described by the autopsy as inflicted "in an embrace", proved fatal. Claris fell to the ground and did not get up again.
De Simone fled by climbing over his house gate, where he found his brother and his girlfriend who had fallen behind during the escape. Back inside the dwelling, he met his mother: she saw him covered in blood and he told her what had happened.
The accused's words and the judge's ruling
In questioning, De Simone stated he had acted to defend his home and his family: "They disgust me, I would kill them all". The judge, however, ruled that the external stimulus that led to the stabbing "appears disproportionate to the gravity of the act, insufficient to provoke the criminal action".
At the hearing, Claris's mother also spoke: "Since the day he died, there is only silence in the house", she said in court. The complete reconstruction of the facts is still underway.
Source: Google News IT — Crime (it)