Sofia Stefani murder in Bologna, appeal court rejects request for new expert assessments
The Bologna Court of Appeal has rejected the requests for new expert assessments submitted by the defence of Giampiero Gualandi, sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his colleague Sofia Stefani, who was killed on 16 May 2024.
The defence appeal has been rejected
According to rainews.it, the Bologna Court of Appeal has rejected the requests for new expert assessments submitted by the defence of Giampiero Gualandi, a 65-year-old former local police commander. The judges declared that the requests were "irrelevant and exploratory" and were not necessary under the law.
Gualandi was sentenced to life imprisonment last year for the aggravated voluntary murder of Sofia Stefani, 33, a colleague and partner. The victim died on 16 May 2024 in Anzola dell'Emilia from a gunshot wound to the face. The second-degree trial opened on 9 November with the accused escorted by prison police.
The defence theory and the charges
Gualandi's defence argues that the shot was fired by accident during an altercation, thereby constituting manslaughter. To demonstrate the accidental nature of the incident, the lawyers requested new expert assessments, including a psychiatric assessment, considered important for aspects of the case never previously examined in depth. However, the Court rejected all the requests.
The lawyer representing Sofia's parents, Andrea Speranzoni, contests the version of the struggle: "Sofia's DNA is missing from the gun," he declared, thereby refuting the hypothesis of a struggle over control of the weapon. The original sentence identified the motive as loss of control over the woman, with whom Gualandi was in a relationship characterised by a marked imbalance of power due to the age difference and professional role difference.
The position of the family
Sofia's mother, Angela Querzè, stressed that her daughter had been "manipulated twice, at work and sexually". She also criticised the consequences of the act: "There was a shot to Sofia's face that erased her identity. This happens very often in femicides".
Source: Google News IT — Crime (it)