"My son had to decide whether to live or die."
Mario Ragnedda, father of the entrepreneur who confessed to the murder , is saddened and close to the family of Cinzia Pinna, but in some way he "absolves" his son, who shot because he feared for his life.
He spoke on "Vita in diretta" (Live Life) on Rai1, outside the Bancali prison where he had just visited his son, Mario Ragnedda, for the second time. Emanuele is doing well but "is deeply saddened. He would like to explain the reasons for his actions, and he did so with me as well."
"A father is still a father. I still feel like Emanuele's father despite the harm he caused, just as I feel like poor Cinzia's father," Ragnedda begins, "but I have to try to reach a truth that can bring justice for everyone."
And here is the truth of that evening, according to Mario Ragnedda: Emanuele, who is a "good, generous and altruistic man, not as he is portrayed" , meets Cinzia Pinna on the evening of September 11th. "That girl who was having problems, had probably been drinking, asked him for a lift and he offered, but then he realized that she didn't have a place to stay that night and so they went to Conca Entosa" .
And there, in the wine entrepreneur's home, the crime took place: "He claims, and I have to believe him, that he was attacked. He feared for his life," explains Mario Ragnedda, "and at a certain point he had to decide whether to live or die, and that's how it went ." How could he have been afraid of a slender and fragile woman like Cinzia? "I can't say that; Emanuele will have to explain it better."
"I share the pain of Cinzia Pinna's family and I don't want to absolve my son. He must pay the right price, but he's not the monster he's portrayed to be ," continues Mario Ragnedda, who also criticizes his wife, Nicolina Giagheddu, who yesterday made harsh statements against Emanuele ("He deserves hell") . "I don't comment on what my wife said. She's in great pain, she's grieving, and she went a bit over the top ." Then he corrects himself: "I agree with almost everything she said, except for a few things."
On the parties at his son's house: «I knew he had parties with friends, he had lots of them, lunches and dinners, but I didn't know he used substances, I didn't know about these excesses» .
Mario Ragnedda saw Emanuele a couple of times in the days between the crime and his confession : "He seemed the same as always, even if in hindsight he wasn't very calm. He didn't tell us anything; we didn't know anything. We only found out when he confessed, and our world fell apart."
On why Emanuele didn't immediately take responsibility: "He was panicking, he couldn't see any way out. But he immediately opened his home to the police, and that's where the process that led to his confession began."
In short, a "cursed night" that ruined two families, according to Mario Ragnedda. "I would like the truth to come out, even for Cinzia, and I believe what my son says is plausible. He explained to me that he was attacked and feared for his life and had to decide whether to live or die, and he shot. He found himself in a situation where he didn't know what to do and he did the wrong thing. I don't want to take any responsibility away from him, but this week he's been talked about as a monster, and he doesn't deserve that."
Shortly before, the man had also spoken on "Ore 14" on Rai2: "Emanuele? His first thoughts always go to poor Cinzia and her family's pain, he always tells me. For me, a daughter died, today I have a dead daughter and a living son in prison, the suffering is double. I would have preferred him to be dead and we could talk about another story , but that's not the case," he said.
(Unioneonline/L)