“I’ll tear your heart out”. Two brothers have been indicted

The trial for the threats to Magda Tirabassi who reported a young man’s death inside a centre for drug addicts takes place in Avezzano in November.

The first hearing will be held in November 2019 in Avezzano (L’Aquila) of the trial of two brothers accused of serious threats to journalist Magda Tirabassi who at the time was director of “Terre Marsicane”, an online newspaper.

Antonio Ranieri is a defendant for the crimes of aggravated threats and attempted personal violence while Aldo Ranieri is accused of aggravated threats only.

THE JOURNALIST – Magda Tirabassi told Ossigeno, “We must react to episodes of this kind, journalists especially must react, to send a message to those who think they will be unpunished also for what they write on Facebook which can be seen by everybody,” He has set an example by denouncing the facts and becoming a civil party in the trial with the assistance of Federica Federici.

THE FACTS – In 2017 the journalist published an article on the death of Matteo Mirasole, a young man from Avezzano who died in a shelter for drug addicts in Lazio, where he had been sent as a precautionary measure.

The journalist in the article claims that the young man who comes from a wealthy family in Avezzano, died in “unclear” circumstances. After the death of his father, the young man had – according to Magda Tirabassi – different moments of crisis. He seems to have beaten his mother and sister and been the protagonist of numerous disturbances in the streets of the town.

THREATS – The brothers Aldo and Antonio Ranieri, friends of Matteo Mirasole, reacted with serious threats, directed at the journalist through social networks and by telephone to persuade her to remove the article from the web. They threatened to set fire to the newspaper’s headquarters and told her over the phone that they would “tear her heart out”, that she looked like a “shit journalist” and promising to kill her.

Both have criminal records for minor offenses and were subjected to anti-social behaviour orders. The lawyer of the two young men had contacted Tirabassi proposing a meeting because the brothers wanted to apologize but the meeting did not take place.

COA (wt)