Luigi Pinna, the survivor of the Sinnai massacre, confirms the retraction of November 14th. The former policeman Mario Uda confirms that he did not show him the photo of Beniamino Zuncheddu before the formal recognition. The comparison between the two witnesses begins with two identical words, "I confirm", which reconstruct the facts differently. The key hearing in the review process before the judges of the fourth section of the Court of Appeal of Rome begins at 3.15 pm with the two witnesses facing each other in the courtroom and Beniamino Zuncheddu - a Burcei breeder who has already served over 30 years in prison for that crime - sitting in the courtroom, for the first time as a free man after the order that suspended the execution of the sentence.

And it turns out that Uda sent a letter to the Court which proceeded to make it available to the Attorney General, the defender and the civil party.

The former policeman claims his loyalty as a servant of the State and recalls that in 1991 (the massacre, with three victims, occurred on 8 January of that year) investigations were carried out in the area, interviewing people. For this reason he had spoken with the survivor but above all with the Fadda sisters (relatives of the victims), because it was necessary to find confirmation of the statements of some witnesses who had spoken of death threats made by Beniamino Zuncheddu to Giuseppe Fadda, one of the killed. But he would never have shown a witness a photo of a suspect before recognizing him.

It's true, however, that he hadn't believed the survivor's description of the killer and that's why they had made an identikit. Uda showed that piece of paper in the courtroom.

But Pinna reiterated several times that Uda showed him the photo of Beniamino Zuncheddu before the formal recognition: «I would never have been able to recognize him. I am telling the truth". But he appears sorry because in his opinion Uda was convinced of what he was doing "because he is a respectable person".

«I was convalescing at home after being discharged from hospital and Inspector Uda came, showed me the photo and told me that Zuncheddu had threatened my brother-in-law and had no alibi», said Pinna, «Throughout the trial I was convinced that it was Zuncheddu who shot, I remember that it was a man who was bigger and taller than me who opened fire. I convinced myself, if I had to go back I would probably make the same mistake. Then I changed my mind when the interceptions came out."

At 6pm the confrontation (which was never direct: Uda and Pinna never spoke to each other but answered questions from judges, prosecutors and lawyers one at a time) ended. When asked specifically, the survivor did not want to say whether he thinks Beniamino Zuncheddu is guilty. There will be no indictment on December 19th because the Rome Court of Appeal believes it needs to hear other witnesses.

Maria Francesca Chiappe

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