Italy has released Giovanni Brusca of the Sicilian Mafia from the prison, who has reportedly murdered over 150 people. He was arrested in 1996 before turning state’s evidence (become an informant against his former partners in crime to face lesser sentence). His release has sparked outrage among the Italian public, politicians, and the relatives of his victims.
According to the reports, he will serve 4 years of probation. As an informant, he has helped investigators track down several Mafia gangsters active in crimes between the 1980s and 1990s.
Who is Giovanni Brusca?
Brusca was known as ‘The Swine’ for his shabby appearance and ‘The Butcher’ for his barbaric methods to kill his victims. One of the grisliest crimes of the swine included murdering a kid and dissolving his body in acid. 14-years old Giuseppe Di Matteo was the son of rival Mafia Boss, Santino Di Matteo. In order to exact revenge on Santino, the swine order his son to be strangled after holding him hostage for over 779 days. Then proceeded to drown the body in acid to further infuriate the boy’s father.
His most famous murder crime was the Capaci bombing in 1992 in which, he aimed to kill anti-mafia prosecutor Giovanni Falcone. The blast killed five more people including Falcone’s wife, his driver, and three bodyguards. This assassination made international headlines and sparked internal chaos in Italy. Similar scenes have been happening again with the release of Giovanni Brusca after 25 years behind bars.
Brusca operated for the Cosa Nostra family and was also associated with Salvatore “The Beast” Riina. According to the reports, it was the beast who hired the swine to blow up Judge Falcone.
Italians Remembered what they went Through
All the grief and rage of the swine’s victims’ families came alive after his release. The wife of one guard he killed expressed her anger while talking to the media. She criticized the Italian state by saying it was working against the public. It has been 29 years since her husband was killed and she told the media that authorities did not know the whole truth about the incident. Yet seeing the murder who destroyed her family free from jail, deprived her of all hope.
Maria Falcone, the sister of the assassinated judge displayed helplessness after law itself released a member of a Mafia group that has made a mockery of Italian law for years. Now the same law gave Brusca the right to stay out of lockup and she had to respect that.
This was not the Justice Italians Asked for
Many politicians in Italy condemned the release of Brusca. Right-wing politician Matteo Salvini said that this was not the justice Italians deserve as releasing a mafia boss was the exact opposite of that. Leader of center-left Enrico Letta compared it to a punch in the stomach. However, the Italian court deemed the swine’s service to the investigators more important than punishing him for the lives he took and destroyed.
They appreciated Brusca’s information about attacks by Cosa Nostra and his testification as a witness in several trials. The prosecutor said that it does not matter what people may think or say, Giovanni Brusca informed about bombings and judges also believed that the swine has served appropriate jail time.
