An Italian court acquitted Louis Dassilva of the murder of Pierina Paganelli and ordered his immediate release on Wednesday [1, 2].
The verdict ends a high-profile legal battle in Rimini that centered on the violent death of an elderly woman. The acquittal leaves the crime officially unsolved, as the court determined the evidence was insufficient to prove Dassilva was responsible for the killing [1, 2, 3].
The Court of Assise of Rimini delivered the ruling on the night of June 10, 2026, following a hearing that lasted 16 hours [1, 2]. The proceedings concluded that Dassilva was not guilty of the charges brought against him [1, 2].
Pierina Paganelli, 78, was found dead in her home on Via del Ciclamino [3]. Investigators established that she had been killed with 27 stab wounds [4]. The brutality of the attack led to an extensive investigation and the subsequent arrest of Dassilva [4].
Dassilva had been in custody since 2024 [1]. While prosecutors had sought a life sentence for the defendant, the court ultimately found the evidence inconsistent [1, 2].
The ruling follows a complex trial where the defense argued that the evidence linking Dassilva to the crime was inconsistent [4]. The court's decision to acquit means that the legal system did not find a direct, proven link between the defendant and the 27 stab wounds that killed the victim [4].
“Louis Dassilva was acquitted and declared not guilty”
The acquittal of Louis Dassilva creates a legal vacuum in a case that captured significant public attention in Italy. Because the court found the evidence insufficient for a conviction, the murder of Pierina Paganelli remains a 'giallo'—an unsolved mystery—meaning the state must either find new evidence for an appeal or leave the case open indefinitely.
