The Sassari Court of Appeal upheld the life sentence for twin brothers Giuseppe and Maoro Contena, convicted of the murder of Mauro Antonio Carai, concluding the second level of proceedings by upholding the sentence handed down in 2024 by the Court of Nuoro.
The judges found the evidence solid and coherent, confirming the responsibility of the two defendants. Carai, 74, was murdered with 35 stab wounds on the evening of August 27, 2021, in the countryside of Orune, in the locality of "Su Cumonale 'e susu."
On appeal, Professor Ernesto d'Aloja's expert report also placed the death between 8 and 9 PM, confirming the first-degree reconstruction. Security cameras that evening filmed the Contenas' Fiat Doblò at 8:59 PM in Orune, consistent with the time required to reach the crime scene. Forensic evidence revealed the victim's blood and DNA were found on the Doblò and the Panda used by the defendants, with subsequent attempts to clean them with bleach.
The Contena twins were defended by Luigi Esposito, Stefano Zoccano, and Nicola Caricaterra. The civil plaintiff was represented by lawyers Lorenzo Soro and Pasquale Ramazzotti.