Gravesano assault: 52-year-old on trial for attempted murder

A 52-year-old Italian man, who has lived in Ticino for thirty years, is on trial before the Criminal Assize Court in Lugano. He is accused of repeated attempted intentional murder, simple bodily harm, repeated coercion and threats. The hearing, before the court presided over by judge Amos Pagnamenta, opened on Wednesday.

The events date back to 22 September 2025 and occurred amid a conflictual separation from his wife. That evening, the defendant had gone to a car park in Gravesano after tracking his ex-wife using a GPS device hidden in a car. The device was part of a covert surveillance operation the man had been running for almost a year and a half, using hidden microphones in the home. "Volevo la verità. Volevo sapere se stesse con l'amante" ("I wanted the truth. I wanted to know if she was with her lover"), he told the court repeatedly.

The clash in the car park

At the car park, the defendant found not only his ex-wife and her new partner but also her brother-in-law, whom he claims attacked him. According to the prosecution, represented by public prosecutor Petra Canonica Alexakis, it was in fact the 52-year-old who attacked first, striking the woman's new partner with seven punches before falling to the ground. He then went to his car to get a stick. "L'ho fatto perché temevo che anche lui prendesse qualcosa per picchiarmi e volevo difendermi" ("I did it because I was afraid he would also grab something to hit me with, and I wanted to defend myself"), he told the judges.

The woman's new partner fled by car. The defendant then found himself facing her brother-in-law, who allegedly hit him with punches, kicks and two blows with the stick to the face, causing fractures. The man denies using the stick against his brother-in-law: "Era mio cognato, non l'avrei mai fatto" ("He was my brother-in-law, I would never have done that"). The clash ended with the brother-in-law stabbing the defendant three times; that case is still pending separately.

The prosecutor initially told the court she would seek a sentence of no less than five years, before formally requesting nine years' imprisonment and the defendant's expulsion from Switzerland. The verdict is expected on Thursday.