Chiara Nava “ Did she want that much? ” This was the first question Monica Busetto asked journalists upon her release from prison. A calm smile, bright eyes, and a few words in Venetian dialect to describe the burden of nearly 14 years spent behind bars for a murder she didn't commit . At 4:44 PM on Friday, November 13, the former social health worker walked through the gates of the Montorio Veronese prison as a free woman, after the Trento Court of Assizes overturned her 25-year sentence following the second appeal.
No anger, at least not at first, but above all relief and a desire to return to her life. Monica showed reporters the verdict that exonerated her " for not having committed the crime ," reiterating that she has always maintained her innocence.
"I've always said the same things": Monica's story after prison
“ Did you really want to understand? I've always said the same things, I've never changed .” These were the words Busetto spoke in front of journalists , while holding the sentencing document in his hand. As he told Corriere della Sera , the moment the verdict was read was particularly intense: her legs began to tremble and her thoughts immediately went to her parents, who are no longer with us.
“ I didn't understand anything anymore. I didn't even cry, but I felt a lump in my throat ,” she said, letting all the emotion built up after years of legal battles shine through.
Before leaving the facility, Monica received a warm hug from the other inmates and her classmates from the Quid project's tailoring workshops . She also had with her the old white Nokia that had been confiscated when she entered the Verona prison in November 2016.
Waiting for her outside were her family , from her sister Martina to her cousin Stefania, to Mariella. And there's already an event that will have a special meaning for her: Christmas. " It will be the first time after 14 Christmases in prison ," she said. When asked if she wanted to spare a thought for the magistrates who sentenced her or for Susanna Milly Lazzarini, she replied without apparent rancor: " Now, it's over ."
The greatest desire now is to return to normality: “ I can't wait to breathe in my Venice and be with my family .”
The murder of Lida Taffi Pamio and her 25-year sentence
Monica Busetto's legal case began on December 20, 2012, when 87-year-old Lida Taffi Pamio was found dead in her home in Mestre . She had been killed by forty stab wounds, inflicted with four kitchen knives, and a blow to the head with a nutcracker.
Suspicions had focused on the former social worker, who lived directly across the street from the victim , on the second floor of the same building. According to what emerged, the two women had had some disagreements in the past. A necklace found in her jewelry box, believed by investigators to be the only item stolen from the elderly woman's apartment, had particularly weighed on Busetto's case.
The turning point came after the murder of another woman, Francesca Vianello . The perpetrator of that crime, Susanna Milly Lazzarini , had also confessed to Pamio's murder, but had been tried in a separate case and subsequently recanted several times.
After an initial rejection of the request for review , new evidence allowed the case to be reopened. The journalistic investigation by Le Iene correspondent Max Andreetta, whom Busetto publicly thanked upon his release, was also decisive.
The technical reports presented by the defense highlighted that the necklace seized from Monica had characteristics and dimensions incompatible with the one worn by the victim before her death . Doubts also emerged regarding the contamination of the evidence and the chain of custody.
“ We have always had faith ,” said lawyer Stefano Busetto, adding: “ Obviously we have to say to Monica 'sorry for the delay' .”