It only took the Turin prosecutor's office 49 years to close the preliminary investigation into the June 1975 exchange of fire during which Mara Cagol, a member of the Red Brigades, and Giovanni D'Alfonso, one of the carabinieri who intervened to free the contractor, lost their lives. Vallarino Gancia, kidnapped by the Red Brigades. In fact, today morning came the notification from the Turin Prosecutor's Office of the conclusion of the preliminary investigations for the case against the former member of the Red Brigades Renato Curcio, founder of the group and husband of Cagol, Mario Moretti, Lauro Azzolini and Pierluigi Zuffada. This provision comes 17 months after the reopening of the investigation following a complaint filed by the son of the killed carabinieri, Giovanni D'Alfonso.
The Monferrato shooting and the court case
Vallarino Gancia, famous sparkling wine industrialist, was kidnapped on June 4, 1975 by the column of the Red Brigades of Turin and taken to a farm in Monferrato, Spiotta di Arzillo. The carabinieri identified the hiding place and attempted a lightning operation to free the contractor less than 24 hours later. A violent exchange of fire ensued, during which Officer D'Alfonso was killed and Lieutenant Umberto Rocca and Marshal Rosario Cattafi were wounded. Cagol was also killed, in circumstances that have never been fully clarified, while another member of the Red Brigades managed to escape and was never captured. However, what was found was a document attributed to him: in fact a detailed report on the incident likely to bring new elements to the case, which ended up in judicial oblivion. The writing had already been found in January 1976 in the Br hiding place in via Maderno in Milan, but for more than 40 years – as reconstructed Mail – remained wrapped in cellophane. But in October 2022, the lawyer for D'Alfonso's son, Bruno, recovered it, submitted it to the prosecutor's office and requested the reopening of the investigations, explaining in detail how the investigations at the time had been marked by anomalies. Then, in March 2023, 11 fingerprints were found belonging to the former leader of the Milanese BR column Lauro Azzolini, suspected of being the member of the Red Brigades who fled after the shooting. The file was therefore reopened. Until today's decision: in addition to Azzolini, who is therefore suspected of being involved in the kidnapping and shooting, Moretti and Curcio are under investigation for moral complicity as members of the council of administration of the BR, and Zuffada is accused of having participated in the organization and execution of the kidnapping ofTHE Vallarino Gancia (died November 2022).
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