Peppino Pisanu

After serving several years, Pisanu was released sometime in either late 1967 or early 1968, where he soon after married 36-year-old Angela Masala, a fellow emigrant from Sardinia. The couple had two children - Monica and Massimiliano - and settled in Fossano, where Pisanu found work as a laborer. The spouses' relationship quickly deteriorated over the years, as Pisanu proved to be very violent and controlling towards his wife, constantly beating her and locking her in her house for weeks at a time.[2]

Masala eventually got fed up with the abuse, taking their son and fleeing to her parents' home on Corso Regina Elena. Pisanu proceeded to harass them on several different occasions, demanding that they return his son and threatening to retaliate if they refused.[3] On March 19, Pisanu went to the house again, but after his demands were rejected yet again, he found a nearby ladder and climbed inside through a second storey-window. His 74-year-old father-in-law, Antonio Masala, was awakened by the noise, but before he could read, he was stabbed multiple times.[3] Afterwards, Pisanu went downstairs and attacked the remaining occupants: his 36-year-old wife Angela, her 38-year-old sister Francesca, their 64-year-old mother Lucia and even his 4-year-old son. Angela, Lucia and Massimiliano received serious injuries, while Francesca had her carotid artery severed, killing her on the spot.[3]

The commotion coming from the house attracted the attention of neighbors, who immediately informed the carabinieri.[2] While everybody was gathering inside the house and attempted to help the injured, the blood-soaked Pisanu escaped. A squad of carabinieri was immediately dispatched to arrest him, which successfully apprehended him after half an hour.[2] Unfortunately, Lucia Masala succumbed to her injuries in hospital, while the remaining victims recovered.[4]

Immediately afterwards, Pisanu was lodged in a prison, but was soon transferred to a psychiatric facility in Racconigi to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.[3] The results determined that Pisanu suffered from an undisclosed mental illness which prevented prosecutors from seeking a full life term - instead, they requested a 30-year sentence for two counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder, trespassing, battery and illegal possession of a knife.[4]

During the trial, Pisanu expressed no remorse for the crime and blamed his in-laws for the situation, claiming that "if it wasn't for [them], we wouldn't be discussing two deaths here".[5] In his testimony, he claimed that he had been a loving husband and father who had been driven to desperation by his wife's parents, but Angela herself claimed that this was not the case. When she testified, she said that Pisanu was jealous and regularly mistreated her and the children, so much so that both of their children had to be interned at a hospital for tuberculosis treatment, as they were undernourished.[5] Throughout the proceedings, Pisanu appeared completely disinterested and sometimes bored, his face only changing when he heard the prosecutor's request that he sentenced to 30 years imprisonment.[6]

In the end, Pisanu was convicted on all counts and sentenced to 27 years and 3 months imprisonment. In addition to this, Antonio Masala filed a civil lawsuit against him, requesting 6 million lire in damages.[7]