Prosecutors in Pavia announced on Wednesday that Andrea Sempio, a 37-year-old friend of Chiara Poggi’s younger brother Marco, killed the 26-year-old economics graduate alone on the morning of 13 August 2007. Previously, he had been accused of conspiracy to murder. Alberto Stasi, Poggi’s ex-boyfriend, has served 16 years for her murder.
Nearly two decades after Chiara Poggi was found dead on the staircase of her family home in Garlasco, near Pavia, the case has taken its most dramatic turn yet.
Prosecutors in Pavia announced on Wednesday that Andrea Sempio — a 37-year-old friend of Poggi’s younger brother Marco — killed the 26-year-old economics graduate alone on the morning of 13 August 2007. The announcement came alongside a summons requiring Sempio to present himself for questioning on 6 May.
The charge has been modified. Previously, Sempio was under investigation for murder in concert with others or with Alberto Stasi, Poggi’s former boyfriend, convicted of the killing in 2015. Now, he stands as the sole suspect for the voluntary homicide
Forensic evidence changes case view
On 12 December 2015, the Supreme Court of Cassation definitively recognised Stasi as the only person guilty of the crime, sentencing him to 16 years in prison. He has consistently maintained his innocence.
The genetic profiles that emerged from DNA traces found under Chiara Poggi’s fingernails are compatible “for two of those samples” with Andrea Sempio’s DNA, while “Alberto Stasi can be excluded as the donor of the traces.” That finding, produced by forensic geneticist Ugo Ricci working for Stasi’s defence, was the catalyst that cracked the case open again.
Stasi, now 42, is nearing the end of his sentence. He has been working as an accountant on day release since 2023. In a surprise appearance at a technical hearing in the new investigation, the former Bocconi student said only: “I can’t talk, please let me go. Be patient!”
The biostatistical analysis conducted by geneticist Denise Albani of the scientific police, appointed as expert by the Pavia investigating judge Daniela Garlaschelli, indicates “full concordance” between the Y haplotype detected in 2007 on two of Chiara Poggi’s fingernails and the paternal line of Sempio’s biological profile.
The analysis was performed using biostatistical comparisons, a technique not available at the time of the initial investigation.
The fingernails are not the only evidence placing Sempio in the frame. The famous “33” fingerprint found on the cellar walls, reanalysed with new technologies, is now believed to be Sempio’s, with 15 matching characteristics. According to new scientific investigations, a handprint of Sempio’s has also been found next to Chiara Poggi’s body.
Scrutiny of Sempio’s behaviour
Investigators have also scrutinised Sempio’s behaviour in the days leading up to the murder. Three phone calls made from his mobile on 4, 7 and 8 August were all very short, the briefest lasting just two seconds. This raised suspicion, particularly because Sempio would have known that Chiara was home alone, with her brother and parents on holiday in Trentino.
A further element is a parking ticket from Vigevano that Sempio produced to prove he was not in Garlasco on the morning of the crime, while mobile phone cell data suggested otherwise. The ticket, investigators noted, had been kept for over a year somewhat unusual for a document of that kind.
Sempio also claims his innocence
Sempio has consistently protested his innocence, though he has so far spoken only in television interviews rather than to magistrates. He declined to appear for a previous summons in May 2025 on procedural grounds.
His legal team is not conceding ground. Sempio’s lawyers argue that the DNA result is not legally usable because “the data was not replicated with the same result,” and that “a definitive point cannot be reached” to establish the identity of the DNA found on Chiara Poggi’s nails. The results, they say, are based on material that is degraded, partial, mixed and not consolidated, and could have been transferred without direct physical contact.
Defence lawyer Angela Taccia said the team is “evaluating the most appropriate steps for our defence strategy.” She noted that Sempio has been summoned for a second time without the full investigation file having been deposited, a procedural complaint the defence considers significant.
A consultant for the Poggi family has also questioned the evidence, describing it as not constituting reliable scientific data.
The interrogation scheduled for 6 May represents what Italian commentators are calling the final act of the preliminary investigation. Time will tell.
