Forensic consultants for Alberto Stasi’s defense allege that “Imprint 33″—a palm print recovered from a stairwell wall where Chiara Poggi’s body was found—contains traces of both sweat and blood. Stasi, Poggi’s boyfriend serving a 16-year sentence, commissioned the analysis targeting Andrea Sempio, whom the Pavia Prosecutor’s Office considers the print’s source.
Experts Oscar Ghizzoni, Ugo Ricci, and Pasquale Linarello conducted judicial experiments, including 3D computer simulations. They theorize the individual who left the print braced against the wall to avoid falling without descending the stairs, then hastily wiped blood from their hands with a towel—possibly one of several beach towels missing from Poggi’s Garlasco home.
The defense consultants spent weeks analyzing the print, originally scraped from the wall 18 years ago. Only a disputed photograph of the plaster remains. While prosecutors maintain it belongs to Sempio, lawyers for Sempio and Poggi’s family contest this, arguing it is merely undateable sweat residue.
The experts replicated palm prints on a wall using varying concentrations of sweat and blood, then applied ninhydrin—a chemical revealing amino acids and proteins. This produced prints with differing violet colorations. Comparing these to Imprint 33’s image indicated a match with a print where non-dominant blood levels mixed with predominant sweat. This, they concluded, suggests the person touched blood and wiped their hands quickly.
Further tests divided the imprint sample into darker (higher blood concentration) and lighter (predominant sweat) sections. Using the Combur test, the darker section reacted rapidly, contrasting with the “doubtful” 2007 finding, while the lighter section reacted slowly. Subsequent OBTI tests on both sections were negative. The experts suggest the earlier ninhydrin application or the plaster itself may have inhibited this human-blood-specific test. They maintain this doesn’t exclude blood presence, noting the initial investigator observed a peculiar halo at the scene warranting examination.
Sempio’s lawyer, Angela Taccia, responded: “We learned of this filing via media again. No concern—it’s a party-appointed report holding the same weight as ours. Nothing is proven. We trust Andrea’s truth will emerge eventually.” Additional verification of the defense findings is pending.
© Copyright ANSA. All rights reserved.