Susanna Riva The case of Daniele Re , a 35-year-old arrested last July for the murder of his partner Ramona Rinaldi , reached an unexpected turning point on Wednesday morning at the Como Assize Court . Rinaldi, found hanged in the bathroom of their home in Veniano in February 2025, had so far been the subject of a trial based on forensic evidence, reconstructions of the facts, and the testimonies of the initial experts.
Daniele Re's sudden confession in court
During the final phase of the psychiatric examination, the defendant took the stand without warning, admitting that he had committed the crime. "I apologize to everyone, it was me. I went to bed at midnight, woke up, went to the kitchen, met her, hugged her, started crying, and held her tight, tight, tight.
"Then she was dead," he declared in a trembling voice, leaving the courtroom under the stunned gaze of judges, prosecutors, and fellow defense attorneys. The testimony immediately changed the dynamics of the trial, which until then had been based on a supposed defense of innocence.
Reactions of the defense and the experts
Alessandra Angelelli, Re's lawyer, confessed to being "in shock" and feeling "incredible pain" in the courtroom. The lawyer also reiterated that Re, up until that moment, had seemed "alienated" from his wife's fate, as if the event had been nonexistent to him. "He was a new Daniele," she added, anticipating a scheduled visit to San Vittore prison for a further interview.
The president of the Assize Court , Carlo Cecchetti, had entrusted the psychiatric examination to two experts: the magistrate's expert Nicola Poloni and the defense consultant Giuseppe Sartori. Both agreed that Re suffered from a severe paranoid and delusional disorder , but disagreed on the relationship between the disorder and the homicide. Poloni believed that at the time of the crime, the defendant was suffering from a partial mental disorder, while Sartori maintained that the disorder was total. The prosecution, on the other hand, maintained that Re was fully competent, having subsequently faked his partner's suicide.
Request for additional expert opinion and upcoming hearings
The sudden confession prompted the parties to agree to a supplementary expert report to further investigate the psychiatric evaluation. The new appointment has been set for December 2nd , the date on which the final hearing in the case was scheduled. In the meantime, Re has informed his lawyer of his desire to "speak with psychologists," reversing his previous opposition to a psychological evaluation. Judge Antonia Pavan has already indicated that the supplementary report will be crucial in determining whether the defendant's partial insanity can be considered total at the time of the events, which will be crucial to the final decision on the criminal liability of the defendant.
Emotional resonances and legal implications
During the hearing, Daniele Re's mother collapsed and was treated in court, underscoring the emotional tension the case is generating even outside the courtroom. The prosecution maintains its position that the man deliberately killed his partner and then staged the suicide using his bathrobe belt. If the judge accepts the defense's opinion, the sentence could be reviewed, while a finding of total incompetence could lead to a different criminal classification. The immediate future of the case will depend on the psychiatric experts' final assessment, the debate between the parties in court, and the court's decision on December 2nd, a date that now marks a turning point in a case that has kept the Italian public in suspense.