Messina, hearing set (after death) for deferral of sentence

A date that comes too late. After months of requests presented by lawyers Beatrice Goddi and Maria Luisa Vernier, the Surveillance Court of Milan has set a hearing to discuss the deferral of the sentence of Graziano Mesina , the former red primrose of Supramonte, who died on April 12 at the age of 83.

The decree, notified to the lawyers, establishes the discussion of the proceedings for June 11, 2025, at 9:00 a.m., in Room 538 of the Palace of Justice in Milan. The hearing should have dealt with the request for deferral of the sentence for serious health reasons . The judge, in the decree, recalls that the defendant has the right to participate in person and orders the transfer if detained in a penitentiary in the district of Milan, or authorizes his presence without an escort if he was under house arrest.

An act that, although formally correct, appears paradoxical: the hearing was scheduled more than a month after Messina's death , which occurred at the San Paolo hospital in Milan, where he was being held under house arrest. The transfer was granted only at the last minute, practically the day before his death, following yet another request presented by his lawyers .

In the previous months, in fact, the lawyers had repeatedly requested the transfer to Sardinia , so that Messina could spend his last days near his family. Requests that remained unanswered while his health conditions progressively worsened, until his final hospitalization.

This act adds a further chapter to a story that continues to raise questions about the management of requests for deferral of sentences in cases of terminal illness, and about the timing of institutional responses .

The hearing of June 11 now appears to be only a formal step, but it could still have value for the ascertainment of the facts. In fact, Messina's lawyers have requested the acquisition of medical records and health documentation, hinting at possible judicial developments to shed light on the last weeks of life of one of the most controversial figures in Italian criminal history.