PALERMO - "I ask forgiveness to the family of the young Giuseppe Di Matteo and the whole civil society that we have raped and abused". Thus, visibly moved, the collaborator of justice Gaspare Spatuzza, placing to the process for the kidnapping and murder of the young Giuseppe Di Matteo, addressed to the family of the child and the Assize Court.

"We are morally responsible - added Spatuzza - of the expiry of that beautiful angel to which we cut off his life. Even if we dont' have killed him, me and my co-defendants are guilty of the kidnapping, but also the death of the boy".

At the process are being tried, on charges of kidnapping and murder, as well as Spatuzza, the boss of Brancaccio Giuseppe Graviano, the boss of Trapani Matteo Messina Denaro fugitive from justice and mafiosi Francesco Giuliano, Luigi Giacalone and Salvatore Benigno.
The debate takes place front the Assize Court presided by Alfredo Montalto . Giuseppe Di Matteo was kidnapped to induce father Santino, repentant, to retract his accusations. After 3 years of imprisonment the boy was strangled and dissolved in acid. Spatuzza said: "It is a boulder that we will bring for eternity; we and all our future generations".

The child was kidnapped by a group of gangsters disguised as policemen, to persuade his father to retract. "In the eyes of the child we appeared like angels, but in reality we were wolves", added Spatuzza, alluding to the reaction of the victim who, seeing the false policemen, thought they had come to bring him to his father, who then was out of Sicily under protection.
"We have tied him like an animal and we let him inside a van Fiorino. He was crying, we went back there because that little humanity that we had yet comes out". After the kidnapping, the boy was taken to Lascari (PA) where the group of fire of Spatuzza left him to Mafia members. But the guards were not ready to take him and they said to Spatuzza and the boss Cristoforo Cannella to leave him in a Fiorino, tied, in a warehouse in Lascari (PA). Spatuzza and the others didn't want to.

"The result was a discussion with Cannella - he said - but finally we obeyed". The child, terrified, cried. "He called us saying that he must go to the bathroom - he added - but it was not true. He was just afraid. Then we went back to reassure him and told him that we would see him in the aftermath, but we did not see him again."

Source Gds.it