Antonio De Pace, the nurse from Vibo Valentia who brutally killed his girlfriend Lorena Quaranta during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been sentenced to life imprisonment. The decision, issued by the Court of Assizes of Appeal in Reggio Calabria, upheld the original verdict from the Court of Assizes in Messina, which had been annulled and sent back for review by the Supreme Court last summer. The Supreme Court had questioned the rejection of mitigating circumstances, citing the defendant’s alleged psychological distress caused by the pandemic.
This argument, supported by the General Prosecutor’s Office in Reggio Calabria, sought to reduce the sentence to 24 years, a recommendation that the appellate court firmly rejected. Presided over by Judge Angelina Bandiera, with Judge Caterina Asciutto as co-judge, the court reaffirmed that De Pace’s actions warranted the maximum penalty. The defense had argued that the murder was not gender-based but rather a result of uncontrollable anguish, but the court was unconvinced. Civil party lawyers, representing Lorena’s family, emphasized the brutality of the crime and sought justice without leniency.
Following the verdict, Lorena’s father expressed a bittersweet sense of closure: “Justice has been served. This verdict is not just for Lorena but for all women who have suffered at the hands of violent men.” He dismissed the defense’s COVID-related arguments, instead attributing the crime to De Pace’s personal insecurities and feelings of inferiority toward his daughter. The court will release its detailed reasoning for the sentence within 90 days.
