As the legal countdown ticks toward a crucial deadline, the Pavia Public Prosecutor’s Office has turned its focus back to the foundational scientific evidence of the Garlasco murder investigation. Investigators recently summoned Luciano Garofano, the former commander of the Carabinieri’s Scientific Investigation Unit (Ris), alongside several officers who originally worked the case in 2007. The confidential hearing unfolds just days before the scheduled close of the current inquiry involving Andrea Sempio.
The Return of the Ris Leadership to the Pavia Procura
On September 25, 2026, prosecutors in Pavia questioned Luciano Garofano behind closed doors for over an hour. Garofano, who led the Ris during the initial chaotic days following the August 13, 2007, murder of Chiara Poggi, declined to discuss the specifics of the exchange with reporters. “I have no comment on the investigation. Let’s wait for the 415-bis,” Garofano stated, pointing toward the impending formal notification of the conclusion of the preliminary investigation.
The closed-door session also involved military officials who participated in the original forensic recovery inside the modest brick villa on Via Pascoli, where 26-year-old Chiara Poggi was found beaten to death. Because Garofano briefly served as a defense consultant for Andrea Sempio in subsequent years, his re-engagement with prosecutors carries considerable weight. The move underscores the judiciary’s intent to re-examine the physical evidence gathered nearly two decades ago, which ultimately led to the final murder conviction of Alberto Stasi, Poggi’s former boyfriend, who is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence.
A Quartet of Forensic Re-Evaluations Nears Completion
The summons for the former Ris commander coincides with a series of technical reviews ordered by Pavia Prosecutor Fabio Napoleone. Three of the four newly commissioned expert assessments have already been filed, creating a dense web of scientific data for the defense and prosecution to parse.
Geneticist Carlo Previderè delivered his findings on September 7, revisiting the disputed biological material discovered under the victim’s fingernails. Previously linked by the prosecution to Sempio’s paternal lineage during an evidentiary hearing, the genetic profile was re-examined after defense challenges. Police forensic geneticist Denise Albani previously noted that the DNA remained “mixed, incomplete, and non-attributable,” precluding a definitive individual identification.
On September 23, two additional reports landed on the prosecutor’s desk. Forensic anthropologist Cristina Cattaneo delivered new anthropometric measurements of Sempio, intended to compare his physical characteristics with spatial evidence from the crime scene. Simultaneously, experts Giampaolo Iuliano and Nicola Caprioli submitted a fresh evaluation of the shoe print left on the blood-smeared floor of the Poggi home—the distinctive “dot-soled” impression matching a size 42 shoe. This analysis intersects directly with the ongoing scrutiny of the “Fraù” footprint and the recorded shoe size of Sempio, who stated in 2007 that he wore a size 44.
The Missing Psychiatric Piece and Next Legal Steps
One critical component of the investigative dossier remains pending: a personological and psychiatric evaluation assigned to specialist Roberto Catanesi. Prosecutor Napoleone tasked Catanesi with assessing whether Sempio harbored psychological conditions or disorders back in 2007 that could have impacted his legal culpability or social dangerousness at the time of the murder. However, the planned clinical interview stalled after Sempio, acting on the advice of his defense counsel, declined to meet with the professor.
Consequently, Catanesi must rely entirely on existing documentation, including public statements, diaries, personal writings, and car audio recordings captured by Carabinieri wiretaps while Sempio was driving. Investigators maintain that a motive for the alleged crime stems from deep-seated animosity following a rejected sexual advance, pointing also to intimate digital media found on a flash drive and the prominent “print 33” right-hand mark discovered on the stairwell wall.
With the deadlines closing in, the Pavia Procura is poised to issue a second notification of the close of the investigation under Article 415-bis of the Italian Code of Criminal Procedure, effectively setting the stage for a formal request for indictment. Once served, Sempio's defense team will have twenty days to deposit counter-consultations and defensive briefs, setting up another intense courtroom battle over a cold case that continues to haunt the Italian judiciary.
