On 6 may 2009 brothers Albert and Mario Frisoli were stabbed to death in their house in Rozelle. Both brothers suffered dozens of wounds which were labelled by a pathologist as defence type injuries. Giuseppe Di Cianni a former business partner of Albert Frisoli was found guilty by the jury of two counts of murder and Josephine Pintabona, an ‘intimate’ relation of Di Cianni was found guilty of being an accessory to murder after the fact. Di Cianni was known to have a longstanding conflict with Albert Frisoli stemming from the belief that he had been defrauded. Two weeks before the death of the brothers two court cases Di Cianni brought against Albert Frisoli had collapsed leaving Di Cianni with nearly $400,000 in legal debts and giving him …show more content…
The defence argued that the only time Di Cianni had left his house on the day the crime was to leave a gift of bottled homemade pasta sauce in the yard of his friend, Pintabona, though this alibi was rejected by the jury. In relation to the scarf, Pintabona told the court that she would sometimes move it around as she cleaned the offices that Di Cianni and Mr Frisoli shared before 2006, explaining how her and Di Cianni’s DNA had come to get on it, though it was noted that Di Cianni had passed her a note during court proceedings directing her to say this making her testimony look rather suspicious. Before sentencing the defence argued that Di Cianni should be shown some leniency due to his age. However this was rejected and under the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 Di Cianni was sentenced to a non-parole period of 20 years for each charge and a further term of four years for each. Pintabona received a significantly reduced sentence as despite the blood on Di Cianni’s shoes the judge ruled it could not be proven beyond reasonable doubt that Pintabona had known he was guilty of murder. She was sentenced a minimum of three …show more content…
Police used a combination of powers in gathering evidence which included medical examination, electronic surveillance and access to information. Initial police investigation into the Frisoli brothers revealed that there had been longstanding conflict between Giuseppe Di Cianni and Albert Frisoli, who were former business partners. Over the years Albert had taken out a string of violence orders against Di Cianni which the police would have had access to under the Computerised Operational Policing System (COPS) 1994 (NSW) and which would have made Di Cianni the primary suspect. A scarf that was found at the crime scene draped over Albert’s body had the DNA of both Di Cianni and Josephine Pintabona who was suspected to be his accomplice in the crime. CCTV footage of the area of the crime later revealed what appeared to be an elderly lady with what was suspected to be that same scarf covering her face. This ‘lady’ was also seen by a neighbour who witnessed her heading up the pathway of the Frisoli brothers house, indicating that Di Cianni had used the scarf to disguise himself as an elderly lady. Crime scene investigators also found a trail of bloody footprints extending from the Frisoli property to George Street Rozelle suggesting the perpetrator had entered a vehicle. DNA testing of Pintabona’s car which she had sold after the crime had been committed revealed