Giusto Chiacchio, the 26-year-old police officer who struck and killed a 25-year-old pedestrian while off-duty, has been released from jail. He remains under investigation but will not face pre-trial detention. The decision was made by Milan judge for preliminary investigations (GIP), Roberto Crepaldi, who validated the man’s arrest for road homicide but imposed no precautionary measures.
The officer is accused of hitting and killing Matteo Barone at approximately 6 a.m. last Saturday. The incident occurred as Barone was crossing the street on a marked pedestrian walkway at the intersection of Via Porpora and Via Adelchi in Milan.
The Milan Prosecutor’s Office, which had requested both the validation of the arrest and pre-trial imprisonment, argued there was a risk the officer could commit another crime. The suspect had tested positive on an alcohol test. Judge Crepaldi’s ruling stated that no such precautionary need exists for the 26-year-old, whose driver’s license has already been suspended.
As part of the investigation by the local police, the officer’s mobile phone was seized to determine if he was using it at the time of the crash. A witness reported that his car was traveling over the 50 km/h speed limit.
In the release order, Judge Crepaldi acknowledged the gravity of the incident, which “caused the death of a young boy,” and noted that the driver “demonstrated a low level of empathy for the victim” during his interrogation. However, the judge concluded that the “profiles of guilt are not, at this stage, such as to raise particular alarm” about the man’s character.