Sicilian mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, who became one of the most wanted men in the world, died in a hospital in central Italy, as confirmed by the mayor of L’Aquila. This subject was caught at the beginning of the year after remaining on the run for decades.
Messina Denaro, 61, was treated for colon cancer while being held in a high-security prison in Europe; However, he was transferred to the medical center in August after his health condition worsened.
His death “ends the history of violence and blood,” said Biondi, who thanked prison and hospital staff for their “professionalism and humanity.”
This is the “epilogue of a life lived without remorse or regret, a painful chapter in the recent history of our country,” he added. Messina Denaro is one of the most violent bosses of Cosa Nostra, depicted in the Godfather films.
Criminal record
This individual was convicted by the courts for his involvement in the murder of the anti-mafia judge, Giovanni Falcone, in 1992 and was involved in deadly attacks in Rome, Florence and Milan in 1993.
However, he remained high on Italy’s most wanted list and eventually became a legendary criminal figure.
On January 16, 2023, he was arrested during a visit to a clinic, where he was treated under a false identity. “They stopped the fugitive inside a health facility in Palermo where he went to follow clinical therapies,” Carabinieri general Pasquale Angelosanto told the AGI agency.
Afterwards, he was imprisoned in a high-security prison in L’Aquila where he continued to receive cancer treatment in his cell. This weekend, the media reported that he was in an “irreversible coma.” Doctors stopped feeding him and he asked not to be released, they added.
What is known about his funeral?
Preparations have begun for his burial in the family cemetery in the town, next to his father Don Ciccio, according to Corriere della Sera.
Don Ciccio is also the head of the local family. He is said to have died of a heart attack while running away and his body was left in the countryside, dressed for burial.
Investigators scoured the Sicilian countryside for years in search of Messina Denaro, finding hideouts and intercepting members of his family and friends. They were heard talking about the medical problems of an unidentified man who was suffering from cancer and eye problems. Detectives are sure the identity matches Messina Denaro.
They used the national health system database to find male patients of suitable age and medical history, and eventually closed the case.
But even though his arrest brought relief to his victims, the mafia boss has always remained silent. In custody interviews, Messina Denaro even denied being a member of Cosa Nostra.
