She attempted to knock herself unconscious with a sedative . Excessive media pressure is said to be behind the actions of Manuela Bianchi, daughter-in-law of Pierina Paganelli, the pensioner killed in Rimini in 2023. Bianchi was rushed to the hospital for overusing sleeping pills. Rescued by emergency personnel, she was taken to Rimini Hospital and had her stomach pumped. Her life is not in danger, but health workers have decided to admit her to a specialized facility.
According to the reconstruction, the woman had taken two packages of a benzodiazepine-based medication, a sedative, prescribed for anxiety . She was at her father's house in an apartment on Via del Ciclamino, not far from the garage where she found her mother-in-law's body on October 3, 2023. She explained her actions to the hospital paramedics, where she arrived with a red code. A state police patrol, in addition to the 118 ambulance, responded to the scene.
According to the report, which speaks of self-harm, Manuela Bianchi could not have withstood the public shaming to which she and, more importantly, her daughter were subjected . She was the chief witness for the Prosecutor's Office in the trial against Louis Dassilva for the murder of Pierina Paganelli .
On June 9, the Rimini Assize Court acquitted Dassilva, with whom Bianchi herself had had a romantic relationship, and released him. Represented by attorney Nunzia Barzan and consultant Davide Barzan, Manuela Bianchi was also investigated for aiding and abetting Dassilva, and later claimed to have met him the morning Pierina was found in the garage. This circumstance, according to the Prosecutor's Office, cast suspicion on Dassilva.
Yesterday, in the hospital , Manuela reportedly told doctors that she couldn't bear the insinuations against her family, which had intensified after the trial ended . In a statement, the Barzan firm called for greater protection. "For over 32 months, she has been the target of media exposure, personal attacks, and summary judgments. In recent days, this phenomenon has further and significantly escalated, with increased media attacks, verbal abuse, and social pressure directed at our client."
