Lucrezia Ciotti Traces of wood, glue, and resin on the adhesive tape wrapped around Serena Mollicone 's head and the residue found on the door of the barracks in Arce are the focus of the tenth hearing of the second appeal trial for the 18-year-old's murder . RIS lieutenant Rosario Casamassima presented the analyses of the evidence, focusing on the 25 wooden fragments and the compatibility findings, which support the hypothesis that the young woman's head impacted that door.
A reconstruction contested by the Mottola family's defense.
Serena Mollicone murder: RIS in court: "Fragments in her hair consistent with a barracks door."
The analyses conducted on the evidence in the Serena Mollicone case are once again at the center of the second appeal trial for the murder of the young woman from Arce, killed in 2001. During the tenth hearing, Rosario Casamassima, lieutenant of the Rome RIS, a consultant to the Attorney General's Office, presented the results of the investigations into the adhesive tape wrapped around the girl's head and the door seized from the Carabinieri barracks.
As reported by Frosinone Today , according to the expert, the fragments of wood, glue, and resin found on the finds have characteristics " indistinguishable " from those of the materials found on the door. This correspondence, according to the non-commissioned officer, also emerges from the overall assessment of the technical-scientific investigations: " The overall investigations conducted support the hypothesis that the seized door is the surface it impacted ."
Casamassima clarified that he did not intend to provide independent reconstructions, but rather simply outlined the findings of the tests. In particular, he cited the discovery of 25 wood fragments on the adhesive tape and five splinters located directly between the adhesive material and Serena's hair, ruling out the possibility that the elements found were attributable to accidental contamination. Among the traces analyzed was also a residue of white paint with brown rust spots , compatible with a sample found in the 18-year-old's hair and with materials collected from the barracks' living quarters.
The Serena Mollicone trial: the wig-wearing simulations and the clash between prosecution and defense.
As highlighted by Frosinone Today , the investigations were conducted through simulated impacts using a wig : according to Casamassima, wood splinters can get trapped in the hair, while the resin component tends to slide off more easily. The expert also noted the arrangement of the five fragments found between the hair and the adhesive tape, considering it a significant factor in interpreting the results.
The findings have sparked conflicting opinions among the parties . The lawyers for the Mollicone family , Antonio Iafrate and Federica Nardoni, argued that the findings strengthen the prosecution's reconstruction, according to which Serena entered the Arce barracks and never came out . The Mottola family 's lawyer , Fabio Quadrini, disagreed , contesting the consultant's work , calling it an attempt to adapt the findings to the investigative theory and maintaining that the door was not the means of injury.
The defendants in the case are Franco Mottola, former barracks commander, his wife Annamaria, and their son Marco, who were already acquitted in two previous instances. The Court is now called to reassess the entire evidence. The next hearing is scheduled for November 18 , when Dr. Pilli and, once again, consultants Carmelo Lavorino and Di Mille will testify.