MILAN / PADERNO DUGNANO - In one of the most shocking criminal cases in recent history, the Milan Juvenile Court has now presented its detailed, 51-page grounds for the verdict. Riccardo Chiarioni, who killed his parents and his 12-year-old brother in Paderno Dugnano in 2024 at the age of 17 with over 100 stab wounds, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Judge Paola Ghezzi paints a picture of a perpetrator who, despite his young age, acted with frightening cold-bloodedness and according to a clear plan.
Motif: A bizarre plan for immortality
According to the court, there is no classic motive for the bloody deed, which took place after the father's birthday party. Instead, the teenager was driven by an "extravagant and bizarre thought": He wanted to "achieve immortality by wiping out his own family". In his imagination, he had to free himself from all emotional ties in order to enter a fantasy world. Although a psychiatric report attested to a diminished sanity and a "psychological split personality", the judge did not agree with this assessment. The reasons for the verdict state that the perpetrator had "distinguished reality from imagination" and had "lucidly planned, executed and, if necessary, adapted his actions before, during and after". The fuel for the extreme brutality - especially towards his mother and brother - was a "large dose of narcissistic rage and hatred", which had built up with every frustration.
Cold-blooded planning and right-wing extremist tendencies
The court describes the now almost 19-year-old as "manipulative" and "cunning". He had planned the murder "down to the smallest detail" and cleverly lured his parents into a trap in his own room after he had already attacked his younger brother. His behavior after the crime also testifies to his cold-bloodedness: he tried to deliberately lure the investigators onto false trails in order to secure impunity. He only confessed when his grandfather told him that he was not believed. The analysis of his electronic devices also revealed a clear "inclination towards fascist, Nazi and homophobic ideology"; among other things, a photo of Hitler's "Mein Kampf" was found. Despite mitigating circumstances due to his age, the court imposed the maximum possible sentence of 20 years for the shortened trial.
