All language subtitles for SanPa.Sins.Of.The.Savior.S01E04.WEBRip.x264-ION10.4

[thunder rumbling]

[anchorman]
Yesterday, at San Patrignano,

Natalia Berla jumped out of a window.

She was 32 years old.

[tense music plays]

Is there an explanation for this tragedy,

or is everything shrouded
in the mystery of life and death?

[Berla] I met Dr. Boschini
at the hospital in Rimini.

He was there babbling on,

but he never gave me a real answer.

[Boschini] I knew Natalia.

Her problems probably went
beyond her addiction.

I asked to see where it happened.

There was a corridor, and at the end of it
there was a small window,

about this big.

But it was quite high up,
so I remember thinking,

"But how did she pick up speed

and dive through that hole
without even bumping a shoulder?"

I was baffled.

[horse snorting]

It went from the idyllic beginning,

with "the horses, Vincenzo's so kind,
so warm, we are like family,"

to throwing yourself from the window
because your last thought was

that freedom can only be found in death.

[journalist] Muccioli,
how did this tragedy happen?

This incident, apart from the loss
of someone dear to me,

doesn't explain

what could have led this girl

to such a tragic end.

Vincenzo didn't really notice Natalia.

And he made the mistake of entrusting her

to a group of narrow-minded people

who didn't understand Natalia
and didn't get her peculiarity.

She had to fit the mold
of the good little soldier,

and this was the beginning of the end.

[birds squawking]

[Negri] Before Natalia's death,

I was working in the kitchen.
We had to help

as there was an important conference
at San Patrignano.

I clearly remember rinsing some grapes,

and while I'm there,

I hear thuds coming from a room

at the end of the kitchen,
which was the pantry.

I hear a woman screaming,

and then I see that Natalia,

I'm not sure why,

was being dragged by two guys
and she was crying.

I also manage to notice
a bruise under her eye.

I was with my guardian,
who was always with me,

who told me

that this girl was a troublemaker.

She disappeared. I asked about her,
but I was advised not to ask questions.

Natalia, two days later,
jumped out of a window.

My mother tried to follow this up
with the help of a lawyer from Rimini.

From the witnesses I met

who knew her at the time,
and who were also guests there back then,

I know that, towards the end,
Natalia tried to leave.

And she wrote a note,
which apparently was intercepted,

and that's what caused…

confinements, beatings…

[locking door]

[De Stefani] Natalia had written a note
to her brother, a cry for help,

saying that if he didn't come to get her,
she would be dead.

[Berla] I believe Muccioli
should have called and said,

"I can't control your daughter.

Your daughter isn't well.
She wants to leave, come get her."

She might have not died,

or maybe she would have died
somewhere else.

But for him, every…

anyone who left or escaped,
and some guys did leave,

meant failure.

[Boschini]
Anyone could leave the commune.

People were… Only in the '80s
were people put in that kind of situation.

After that,
a lot of people left the commune.

It isn't true that people couldn't leave.

All requests to leave San Patrignano
went through Vincenzo.

[chuckles]

Nobody can tell me otherwise.

So Natalia couldn't leave.

[Vincenzo Muccioli]
If you come here, it is to stay.

But if you want to give up and leave,
that's a no.

I'm not going to let you leave.

[door closes]

[keys jangling]

I know for sure, from many witnesses,

that, towards the end,
her time there was very hard.

She was beaten,

locked up in the furriery's safe.

She was…

sprayed with an icy cold water jet.

A system that really

resembles a concentration camp
rather than a rehab center.

[theme music playing]

[Vincenzo Muccioli]
We're going through a difficult time,

the result of a tragic event
that we've all experienced

through the heartache
that this situation has caused.

And what are we supposed to do…

[Negri] The day after Natalia's suicide,
in the room next to mine,

another guy jumped out of the window.

Sunday morning at San Patrignano,
Gabriele De Paola, 22,

a gentle and religious young man,

unexpectedly took his own life.

This guy had only been there
for a few days.

He was a police officer from Sicily,

very religious,

who couldn't accept the fact

that on Sundays,
he couldn't attend mass at San Patrignano.

[people chattering indistinctly]

He took advantage
of the confusion happening

because of some important
conferences taking place.

He managed to get away from the guys
that were always next to him

and went to the police and asked them
to help him leave San Patrignano.

The police thought he was crazy
and brought him back to San Patrignano.

The day after, he jumped.

It happened in a matter of seconds.
Suddenly, he just jumped out.

After this incident,
bars were put on windows.

[tense music plays]

[reporter] Shock and dismay
at San Patrignano

where two guests committed suicide
over Saturday and Sunday.

This week, two tragic events took place
at San Patrignano, two suicides.

Do they have anything to do
with the methods used?

[Moratti]
Well, here's an answer from a guy

who was a drug addict for ten years.

He said to me, "See, Gian Marco,
when we shoot up for the first time,

we know we're heading towards our death.

Their death…

isn't unusual, the fact that
thousands of us are alive is.

Look, if I hadn't been lucky enough
to meet Vincenzo,

I wouldn't be here to tell the story."

I think the biggest mistake
of those early years

was the idea

that loving people

and pushing them towards rehabilitation
would work for everyone.

But it's not like that.

There are people
who require specific treatments,

such as psychotherapy,
more often than not.

[reporter] The second suicide
took place during the last part

of a national convention
of Volunteers Against Drugs,

during which some amendments to laws
against drug addiction were drafted.

[speaking indistinctly]

He clearly started to get involved

in bigger and more important things, uh…

also on a social and political level.

Vincenzo Muccioli is seen as the lion
in the fight against drugs in Italy…

[Nigro] Once he was acknowledged
by the authorities,

he became a point of reference
for the government.

We're now in a position to ask
for what we need to improve our service

and suggest the laws needed
to avoid the danger

that the current legislation represents
for recovering drug addicts.

[Delogu] He had reached such a height

that he started giving suggestions
about new laws against drugs.

He proposed a bill to equally criminalize
both soft and hard drugs.

Minimizing the threat from drugs
isn't good politics.

This law was also referred to
as "Muccioli Law,"

because there was an ideological movement

lead by Muccioli.

Professor, isn't it true that this law
wants to criminalize drug addicts

to take down the market?

We don't want to criminalize anyone,

we want to direct them to rehab centers.

[Cantelli] That was a turning point
towards restrictive approaches.

The Iervolino-Vassalli law
passed in 1990.

If you were using drugs,
you would go to prison.

But if you then said,

"I want to go to rehab,"
you could be sent to one of those centers.

San Patrignano became the place to go

for many guys coming from various prisons.

[Delogu] Vincenzo said,
"I'll take on the burden."

And obviously, the funds allocated
to the prisons from the government

went to San Patrignano instead.

If you look at it economically,

you can see
that prisons were being emptied

and the commune was getting fuller
with a large number of addicts.

This gave him enormous power.

Every guest who arrived at the commune

had a sister, a brother,
a father, a mother at home.

Which meant votes.

And if you have thousands of people
in the commune,

you have thousands of votes outside,
which brings a huge political advantage.

[crowd clapping rhythmically, chanting]
Vincenzo! Vincenzo! Vincenzo!

Vincenzo! Vincenzo! Vincenzo!

[Delogu] When he attended conferences,
people applauded him

encouraged him to go into politics.

They said, "Vincenzo, you have a commune
with 2,000 people, get into politics!"

[Negri] I'd always seen him
as a very aloof person.

When he appeared, the crowds parted
and the mics were turned on.

There was a time when they talked
about Muccioli as health minister.

And there was a feverish excitement
at San Patrignano

because of this possibility,
which would have been great for them.

Muccioli as minister.

[crowd clapping rhythmically]

It got to a point where he was
the most powerful man in Italy.

Money-wise, we had all we wanted.

I felt like I was leading
an important life.

There were plans too.

There was this promise
of a big house outside of the commune.

He'd often say to me,
"I'll get you a villa,

a house for your wife and your daughter."

And even a swimming pool was mentioned.

[atmospheric music plays]

Vincenzo was good at making you dream.

Go to Mom, come on!

But my partner was eager to leave
and start a life together outside.

She didn't feel like part
of that community anymore,

and she knew it was time to go,

to leave the commune.

To leave a stressful situation.

[horn blares]

Sometimes, I wouldn't see
my wife and daughter for a long time.

But knowing that one day
I'd have my own house

and all the things he said,

gave me the strength to resist
when my partner would say, "Let's go."

I'd say, "Wait, he'll give us a house
and more things."

I was loyal to Vincenzo,

even outside, even with the mob.

I found myself in tough situations,

but I've always been bold and courageous,
and I've never betrayed him.

[horse neighs]

[reporter] One of the biggest stables
in Europe, San Patrignano.

The guys in the commune
look after very expensive horses.

Rimini prosecutors suspect
that the thoroughbreds,

worth hundreds of millions of lire,

were declared as cheap nags
at the border. Why?

The judge asked Roberto Assirelli,

one of Muccioli's main associates,
who has often traveled abroad with him.

-Yes, we also bought horses.
-In cash?

-[horse neighs]
-Yes, sometimes.

One of your colleagues, a driver…

Robertino Assirelli was
one of the most important figures of all

at San Patrignano.

He was, the mob would say,
a "consigliori."

In everyday life,
you'd say an exceptional economist.

He was an incredible man.

Unfortunately, he's dead now.

He was the one in charge of deals

and of buying horses, dogs.

We're talking expensive horses and dogs.

[horse neighs]

I had the honor and the pleasure to travel

many times with him abroad.

[reporter] One of your colleagues,
Walter Delogu, Muccioli's driver,

was arrested at the French border
with 300 million lire,

which he tried to smuggle.

Did you have money in the car?

We have driven with money in our car, yes.

[Delogu] When Roberto and I
arrived in France,

we were stopped at the border

because our car had been seen
traveling too often.

This cop inspected our car.

He pushed a button

that released the hydraulic pistons
and our false bottom was revealed.

It was full of cash, a lot of it,

to buy a horse
that Vincenzo really wanted.

[tense music playing]

We were arrested
and spent a few days in custody,

which was extremely tough and dangerous.

Those days left scars on our souls.

They were hard times
spent with extremely violent people.

[groaning in pain]

While in prison, I never said anything

against Vincenzo or against the commune.

Robertino and I started talking…

In fact, he came to me first

and said, "Something's not right here.
Something is off.

There's something wrong, Walter."

There are currently investigations
into procedures

which don't seem to be pertinent
to a rehab center for drug addicts.

And I'd say, "You're right, Robertino.
Something's slipping through our fingers."

And it was him, Vincenzo.

[audience cheering]

I noticed that he was detaching himself
more and more from reality.

He felt invincible.

And I knew
that a lot things weren't right,

from the trips I was doing,

from relationships starting to fail,

and from many other things
that weren't ordinary anymore.

And he was traveling a lot then, so…

We didn't spend much time
at San Patrignano anymore.

And the commune was being led
by the heads of sectors.

[people chattering indistinctly]

[Vincenzo] Every sector
is a community within the community.

Luckily, there are supervisors
who can make decisions.

And my presence isn't essential anymore
for the place to run smoothly

because there are groups now…

[Boschini] Vincenzo tried
to set up a group of people

who weren't necessarily
better than others.

In fact, they might have been worse.

But they had…

uh, specific attributes
which he believed to be suitable

to manage this place.

[Negri] There's a government
and there are regions.

Muccioli was the government.
The sectors were the regions.

I ended up in a sector whose head

longed to be Muccioli's replica.

I was really suffering because I spent
a year and a half with the chemists.

A year after the beating by Mandingo,
I went to Muccioli's office

and asked if I could change sectors.

[inhales deeply]

He asked me,

"Do you want to move
for any specific reason?"

I said, "Sure, Vincenzo. I can't cope
with Mandingo's aggressive ways."

And he went,

"Sometimes he goes
a little overboard, doesn't he?

I tell him too. That's okay then."

[people chattering indistinctly]

I joined a new group, the programmers.

And that's when I saw
that there were two San Patrignanos…

one that abides and knows everything,

and another that

I'd understand if they said,
"I've never seen any beatings."

San Patrignano, another obscure event

which brings the commune
under media scrutiny again.

[newsman] One of the guests
is in the hospital in a state of shock

and with a ruptured spleen.

We were just horsing around…

[newsman] "We were playing
Slap the Soldier,"

downplayed the young man
who's not pressing charge.

Muccioli's reply came promptly

with a statement, defining "truly violent"

the approach of those instigating slander
and smear campaigns against them.

[De Stefani] Apart from Muccioli's abuse,

we couldn't really see
his rank's violent approaches

because they took place in secluded areas.

[Cantelli] There were many small kingdoms

where the control of some groups
was assigned to people who…

didn't have the necessary right balance

to play that very delicate role.

[Delogu] Vincenzo was
on his own trajectory,

and he started to lose control
of the commune.

And as a management group,
we talked about it,

with Robertino, with Francesco.

We were quite worried about this

because none of the management team
could give him advice.

I could see he had raised a wall,

and I couldn't speak my mind
because he wouldn't listen.

Then at some point, I said,
"Look, I want to leave.

I can't relate to your approach anymore.

I don't like being here anymore.
I have my family, other interests.

So, if you could please help me
like you said you would.

You promised you'd give me a house
worth over 300 million lire."

And then he said, "Take your rags and go."

And I said, "No, that's not
how you behave. I'm not a random junkie.

You know what I've done for you.

I went to prison and never said anything.

I did many things
without asking you for a single penny.

So, I beg you,

keep your promise
because I can't stay here anymore.

I don't approve of your ways anymore."

And really, the best
of his management team,

the best individuals left,
Robertino, Francesco, myself.

We all left.
And he was left all by himself,

surrounded by just a group of yes-men.

And that's when he lost his way.

[tense music continues]

[Severi] I arrived at San Patrignano
in 1992.

San Patrignano at that time
was at the height of its expansion.

There were perhaps 2,200 people
when I arrived.

Before entering San Patrignano,

I met a friend who shared
the same troubles,

and I said,
"I want to go to San Patrignano."

And he said, "Are you crazy?

They lock you up."

But I didn't care
because I was in a bad place.

From my side,
maybe I just wanted to punish myself

by wanting to go there.

I had committed fraud
and many crimes with my real name,

always under the influence of drugs.

I grew up in Sassuolo,
the world leader of ceramic tiles,

and where there were only a few options.

Either you worked in a factory
or you took drugs.

When I arrived, I was tagged
as a difficult person.

At the beginning, I was trying to work out
where I was and what was going on.

Then I started noticing things
I didn't really like.

I remember one night,
a guy from the restoration sector,

who shared our room, got hold of a file,

sawed through the bars
of the window, and escaped.

I had been there for five months.

On March 8th, 1993,

Vincenzo Muccioli arrives
at the canteen of San Patrignano.

He gathers us all, nearly 2,000 of us,

and he tells us that…

something serious is about to happen.

He said,
"You'll see it in the papers soon.

But you have to keep calm
as we will carry on forever."

He said, "I can't believe that some guys

did something terrible like this."

[news program music playing]

[newsman] The news
is going to raise some questions.

San Patrignano is under investigation.

The judiciary of Rimini
has reopened the case of a murder

that took place four years ago.

On May 7th, 1989,

when the lifeless body
of Roberto Maranzano

was found in Terzigno, near Naples.

[Nigro] In 1993, the unexpected happened.

It was discovered
that a man named Roberto Maranzano,

who was found dead in a dump

in Naples, beaten to death,

wasn't killed in a fight among junkies,

but they discovered
that he was killed in San Patrignano.

[dogs barking]

[Maranzano] I'm Giuseppe Maranzano.

I'm the son of Roberto Maranzano,

former guest at San Patrignano,

brutally killed…

uh…

in the place that should have saved him.

[newsman] Today, the magistrates
from Rimini have discovered the truth

about that mysterious death
that was never solved.

[Maranzano] My father was
at San Patrignano for two years.

He arrived in the beginning of '88,

but in 1989,

he ran away from San Patrignano.

A farmer found my father's body
at Terzigno, near Naples.

When the police arrived,

they noticed that he was wrapped up
in a blanket from San Patrignano.

They asked San Patrignano
for explanations.

And they were told
that he was a guest there,

but he had run away.

They didn't know…

what happened to him,

and they were sorry to hear

he was dead.

They also said, trying to shift
the attention away from the commune,

that he ended up that way

because of a drug deal gone wrong
in the proximity of Naples.

The police didn't find anything unusual.

He tested positive for heroin,

and they fully believed
what Vincenzo Muccioli had told them.

After all, he was just a junkie.
Nobody cared that he was dead.

So that was it.

But there was something suspicious

because my dad had always been
very laid back, very quiet.

Even though he was a heroin addict,
he kept on working.

He was a sales agent
before he entered San Patrignano.

When he realized
that he couldn't lead a normal life,

he decided to get rid of the habit

because he deeply loved…

[shaky inhale]

…his children.

We never believed that Roberto
could have ties with the mob.

Uh, but this stigma stayed with us
for three years,

and it left a mark on my teenage nephews

whose lives were badly damaged by this.

And if it wasn't for…

[inhales deeply]

…this…

let's call him "repentant,"

even after 30 years,
I'd probably still be wondering

what really happened to my father.

[camera clicks]

[reporter] A young drug addict
has confessed.

He used to work
in the butchery of San Patrignano.

A young man,
a former guest at San Patrignano,

and who had witnessed

the murder of Maranzano,

rid himself…

of this burden

by telling the story to a caregiver.

And the Rimini prosecutor's office
found out and opened an investigation.

[reporter]
Lorandi, former guest at San Patrignano,

whose statement led
to the case being reopened,

has given all the details
about the murder of Roberto Maranzano.

Lorandi also described
the butchery as the punitive sector

that nobody could leave
or communicate from

without permission from its head,
Alfio Russo.

[sirens wailing]

[Mini]
I was there when the news came out

that they had been arrested.
I was in the office.

A lot of police arrived.

[newswoman] Charged with
aggravated murder by cruelty and torture,

three former guests
of the commune were indicted,

among those Alfio Russo,
former head of the butchery.

[camera clicks]

[newsman] No measures
have been taken for Vincenzo Muccioli,

but he may be called as a witness.

I was obviously horrified by this story.

It sounds like science-fiction.

When I found out
about the murder at San Patrignano,

I wasn't surprised.

A place with 2,500 people
that in 30 years has one murder,

it's nothing.

I mean, it's a miracle
that there weren't more.

The thought that there are some guys

who could do something like that
is inconceivable to me.

If I had known, I would have reported it.

It's obvious that if the whole group
commits a crime and says nothing,

how can I find out?

And how can the others find out
if something happens within a group?

[Andrea Muccioli]
My father does a lot of things

because he makes
many decisions every day,

so he has more…

chances to make mistakes than others.

And at some point,

he put people in charge of the sectors
who weren't suited for that role.

And if you don't monitor constantly
and check what they do daily,

then you take the risk
of those incidents happening.

I really think that none of us
at San Patrignano,

except for those who committed the murder,

knew about what happened.

So we found ourselves
filled with sorrow again, and this…

heavy burden

of having to deal with this crime.

Muccioli, deep down and morally,
do you feel any remorse

for the fact that Maranzano
died here at San Patrignano?

No, I can't blame myself for this.

I feel deeply sorry.

[Nigro] This event reopened

questions that were not answered
during the Chains Trial.

Maranzano was one who wouldn't stick
to the rules and deserved to be punished.

But what's the limit of punishment?

[newsman] There have been reactions
to the murder, mainly condemning

the use of violence and the punishments
used as rehabilitation therapy.

[newsman 2] Controversies surrounding
Muccioli's methods have resurfaced.

[Severi] The Maranzano case
was all over the newspapers in Italy,

and that broke the trust
between Muccioli and his guys.

Once in the public eye,
they couldn't detain anyone anymore.

And so, 200-250 guests left.

Many people who had been here for one
or two years left their rehab journey.

Here, the journalists were everywhere.

As soon as you stepped outside,
they'd be there with mics

asking you questions.

Stop coming here and making a fuss,

because I need
to look after these kids… young people.

I can't watch them fall to pieces.

These guys have come here,

and together we have built
a place for them.

It has great facilities,

even a fully functional hospital
which cares for 500 HIV-positive patients

and 70 patients with AIDS…

[birds squawking]

[Cantelli] After the first time
I left San Patrignano,

I went through months
of frenzied self-destruction.

After five years in rehab
and finding out I was HIV-positive,

I had a terrible relapse.

[jarring music playing]

At some point, I decided…

to get clean again.

On May 28th, 1991, my second season
at San Patrignano started.

"Dear heroin,
now that we are no longer together,

now that we are strangers,
I want to talk about our long love story.

I was willing to sell myself for you,
to prostitute myself.

You used me,

but I can't even feel let down
by your betrayal.

Your betrayals were addressed
to another person…

a man who hadn't been born yet."

[applause]

One day, Vincenzo showed me the commune.

I was astounded
by how much it had grown

during that year and a half
that I had been away.

At the end of that tour, I said,
"Vincenzo, I'd like to ask you something.

I'd like to work with you,

because I know that if I'm close to you,
I won't run away. I'll stay."

And once again, he said yes to me.

[speaking indistinctly]

[Cantelli] So I spent those years
next to him

as PR manager of the commune,

liaising with the media, newspaper, TV…

Antonio Schiavon and Fabio Cantarelli,

both of you came here
to San Patrignano…

A position of responsibility which became…

extremely challenging when…

the whole homicide matter unfolded
with all its consequences.

[host] I'd like to ask you now
about Alfio Russo.

I'm not saying he was ordered
to beat a poor guy to death.

Why did he do it?

Maybe he misunderstood
the meaning of discipline?

No, I think it came
from a bullying mentality

that we all experienced on the streets
where we come from.

Clearly, that was the mindset
in that sector.

It was a tightly-knit and closed sector.

And this probably cut it out
from the rest of the commune.

Clearly, I acknowledged
that a crime had been committed,

no doubt about that.

But I never questioned
the values of the commune.

I'm a doctor, and if there was
a violent approach here,

we, as doctors,

along with the hospitals in the area,
would consistently see,

out of 2,000 people here now,
and 5,000 who were here,

would see many people with injuries,
and this has never happened.

All those who were unhappy
with Muccioli's acquittal and his fame

were finally able to go public again,

fuming with anger,

finally with a pretext.

[newsman] And coincidentally,
the judge who ordered pretrial detention

was also the preliminary
investigative judge, Vincenzo Andreucci.

The same judge that, in 1985,

presided over the first trial of Muccioli.

This was clearly a murder.

And it was unquestionable that…

if a crime was committed,
there had to be a trial.

I ordered a forensic medical investigation

and also a psychiatric evaluation of…

the head of the butchery and pigsty,

Alfio Russo.

[tense music plays]

[man] As a psychoanalyst, I had gained
experiences as a psychiatric expert

in cases of serious criminal behaviors,

such as murderers,
serial killers, rapists.

[birds chirping]

I met in jail

with Alfio Russo in Rimini
about ten times.

Each time for about an hour.

The man I was facing

was quite imposing, with broad shoulders,

with a bull neck,

and who exuded strength and power.

However, he appeared to be quite gentle
during our first meeting.

And he seemed almost baffled

by the huge scandal caused by that event.

And he wondered, "How come?

I've always done my job
for years and years,

dutifully and in line
with the philosophy of the commune,

always doing what Muccioli asked me."

So I thought it would be useful
to let him speak openly

about anything from his past history.

[pig squealing]

[indistinct chattering]

[Battistini] He was from Sicily,
born in a town near Taormina

to a simple family of farmers.

Alfio Russo's childhood was marked

significantly by the fact
that his parents were very old.

So basically, he grew up without a father.

And that had a huge impact on him.

He felt rejected and abandoned.

He starts drinking

and taking cocaine,

and he becomes a drug addict
early on in his life.

When he was about 24 or 25,
his older brother hears of San Patrignano

and sends him there to get clean.

[Delogu] Alfio Russo,

uh, was a troubled guy.

When I met him in the '80s,
as soon as I arrived at the commune,

he was actually, um…

a nice guy you could talk to
and have a laugh with.

Typical "wannabe-mobster"

who was never able
to get to a higher rank.

Alfio immediately bonds
with Vincenzo Muccioli.

He sees him as a God-like figure,

as an extraordinary man
who could save him.

He becomes a very loyal assistant
to Vincenzo Muccioli

and embraces his therapeutic approach.

Alfio had a borderline personality,

quite violent and impulsive.

And he would be in charge
of the most difficult cases,

the rebels, the unruly ones,

those who wouldn't bend to the rules
of San Patrignano.

[Boschini] I think Alfio Russo arrived
a couple of years after me.

I, personally, would have never thought,

even knowing him well
from the early years,

that he could commit such a crime.

Of this, I was never aware.

[Mini] Alfio was there
at the same time as me, in 1981.

He was a rough Sicilian…

and he used to work as a butcher.

[loud bang]

Vincenzo visited that sector regularly.

At the beginning, Vincenzo used

the pigsty and Alfio Russo

as a scarecrow,
so if you did something wrong, he'd say,

"I'll send you to Russo."

[cow groaning]

The butchers were always among themselves.

They didn't talk to anyone
except for their boss

who led this group also
by controlling, in a way, their mind.

When you saw them at mealtimes,
a few of them always had some bruises.

[pigs squealing]

Alfio Russo used to cuff people
to their beds so they couldn't escape.

That way,

they could leave the doors open at nights
because it was too hot.

He was physically overpowering.

So when he had difficult people to handle,

in a moment of time as quick as a flash,
he'd put them straight.

And if they didn't,
they'd be beaten and locked up.

[Battistini] He felt extremely proud

to be considered one
of the main assistants of Muccioli.

Muccioli represented
the father he had never had.

This was in the early '80s,

but the murder of Maranzano
happened in 1989.

In those seven to eight years,

that close daily relationship
with Muccioli wasn't there anymore.

In fact, Alfio Russo sees him rarely.

He's now a man absorbed
by all the relationships

with all the guests in the commune.

This caused a deep sense of abandonment

and resentment towards Muccioli.

[reporter] Did you know
that Russo had a violent nature,

and all these things we heard of in court,

that he was beating the guests
of the commune in the butchery?

Any of the guests could have told me
the things that were happening.

[Mini] He had a lot of trust
in his closest assistants

at a time when the commune
was growing exponentially.

I wouldn't have put Alfio Russo
in charge of a sector.

[reporter] They seemed terrified of Russo.

Someone is terrified when…

I'm sorry, why are you putting
this over my head?

-[woman] Sorry.
-No, you can't put his over my head.

[reporter] Do you remember Maranzano?

[Vincenzo]
He was a guy who escaped,

then came back after a few days.

Then he wanted to go to another sector,
to the drivers.

We didn't think that would be suitable

because outside,
he wasn't behaving properly.

So I told him he could either leave
or go to another sector.

He went to the butchery,

which was nearby,
and was a group that was very…

very small, and they were always together.

And I… put him in that group.

Roberto Maranzano suffered a lot

just for being at San Patrignano.

He wanted to go out,

to try and reconcile with his wife
who had left him.

So he was always complaining.

He represented

all the things that Alfio Russo felt too,

like the fear of abandonment,

the hardship of committing
to a therapeutic plan

which required
a great deal of responsibility.

And while Alfio Russo,
with a huge effort on himself,

managed to keep up with it,

he could see that the other
didn't put enough effort into it.

And this played with his stability
and enraged him.

We don't know what really triggered it.

Maybe Alfio Russo, losing his patience,

ordered Roberto Maranzano to do a job,

and maybe Roberto Maranzano
complained or refused.

And then maybe
that's what triggered Alfio's rage,

who gave him a first brutal beating,

and maybe asking Persico, Lupo,
and others to help him.

So it was a gang beating.

I think the whole group took part in this.

I never allowed

the guys to beat each other up.

After that beating, Roberto was battered.

He could hardly walk.

Alfio decided to let him rest for a day

in the dormitory.

After a day of rest,

he orders his assistants
to bring Roberto down,

so that he could get
back to work in the pigsty

and unload sacs of feed from a truck.

Every sac weighed about 30 kilos.

When they put the first sac on his back,

Roberto crashed to the floor.
He's obviously too weak.

But, uh…

Alfio is now in a state
of a frightful uncontrolled ferocity,

and his fury escalates.

He batters Maranzano again

and orders the others to do the same.

My father was badly beaten up.

[sighs]

Put under a cold shower with broken ribs,

poked…

-[pig squeals]
-with the electric rods used for pigs.

[pigs squealing]

Poor Maranzano was beaten up

and subsequently,

strangled

by the head of the sector,

a large, heavy man

who literally stood on Maranzano's neck,

breaking his spine.

That was final.
Roberto was on the floor, dead.

They beat him up badly,

really badly.

They broke his spine, his ribs.

Uh…

He had burn marks all over his body. Well…

[inhales sharply]

My voice's trembling at the thought of it,
but also because I saw those pictures.

[atmospheric, pensive music plays]

[Nigro] Could a man who ran the commune
in such an authoritative manner

not know about this?

The question raised was,
"Was Muccioli complicit?"

Vincenzo Muccioli appeared in court
on his own accord.

[newsman] Vincenzo Muccioli
gave his testimony this morning

to the presiding judge.

"I didn't know anything,"
repeated the founder of San Patrignano.

The chief prosecutor invited him
multiple times to think carefully

and to try and remember
all that could be useful

to the investigation.

[Andreucci] During the trial,
all eyes were on Muccioli

because we knew that…

even his closest assistants
wouldn't act without guidance

and without his permission.

-[reporter] Did Alfio Russo visit you?
-Nobody ever came.

I wasn't alone that night.
People living with me can testify to that.

[reporter] Did the guys
from the butchery ever tell you anything?

Absolutely not.
But I used to visit the butchery.

Some guys from the butchery
came to my place for lunch.

But never a word. Nothing.

We needed to establish
who had committed the crime

and if there was anyone else involved.

One of the elements
that raised a lot of questions

was the transportation of the body
over 600 kilometers away.

The people working
in the butchery/pigsty department

certainly didn't have the financial means

to carry out such a plan.

[Andrea Muccioli]
What I believe happened is that

as soon as the homicide was committed,

the murderer decided to take

the body there where it was found,

and that he did it…

independently, in the same way
he ran the sector independently.

The head of the sector was independent,

autonomous and free to move around,

and he had a car, etc.

[Negri] There was always
someone at the barrier.

We did shifts, and I did too.

Every time one comes in or out,

the person at the barrier
had to record time in,

time out, the distance driven.
There was a detailed record of cars.

I also knew too well how the procedure
to get the keys for a car worked.

They couldn't just turn up and take them.

[Cantelli] Everything that happened
at San Patrignano was…

recorded, listed, logged.

Vincenzo had a network of informants,
a very efficient one,

a sort of Secret Intelligence Service.

[cameras clicking]

[newsman] It's believed
that Persico and Lupo

are the ones who transported the body
to the long-distance dump in Naples.

[Negri] Lupo and Persico
weren't the heads of the butchery.

They were just two guys

who beat people up
because they were subjugated by Alfio.

Giuseppe Lupo, who admitted
to having smuggled the body of Maranzano

on May 5th, 1989,
told the judges yesterday,

"Vincenzo Muccioli must have known
from the beginning what happened."

No, I absolutely didn't know
from the beginning what happened.

[Andreucci] More details emerged

that lead to seriously suspect
Muccioli's involvement

because of his attempt

to mislead the investigation.

To misdirect it.

For example,

when the chief policeman of Terzigno

paid a visit to San Patrignano in 1989

to inspect the place,

he was shown around the commune
by the staff,

but he was taken to a different room
from the one where Maranzano lived.

[newsman] "I've never been here,"

said the chief policeman of Terzigno,
Mario Inverso,

when he walked into the bedroom
of the butchery sector at San Patrignano

where Maranzano used to live.

[Cantelli] Initially, Vincenzo denied
he knew anything

about the murder of Roberto Maranzano.

[camera clicks]

Shortly after though, he admitted that…

he knew about it.

San Patrignano, Vincenzo Muccioli,
Maranzano homicide…

A twist in the murder of San Patrignano.

Vincenzo Muccioli confessed

that he always knew what happened
and hid it in order to protect his guys.

Muccioli, this morning, you freely
went to the chief prosecutor's office

and disclosed everything you knew.

Yes.

This guy called me in a small room.

He closed the door
and said he had something to say

and that it had to be a secret between us.

And then he told me the story. And I was…

We all wondered, "Why then,

if you knew about it,

did you keep quiet?"

"I knew about the murder, but I kept quiet
because I had a duty to my guys."

[Maranzano] When faced
with the evidence, he had to confess

that he knew what had happened.

He said he withheld the information

to maintain a "secret pact"
and to protect his creation,

San Patrignano

and all the guys who were there.

He told me what happened

in exchange for my silence.

Is this a good enough reason?

And I kept silent

in exchange for the information
that I received.

Muccioli always claimed

that all the guys at San Patrignano
were like his children,

and Alfio Russo was one of them too.

[girl] Muccioli is like a father to us.

He wanted to protect us.

What Vincenzo did, I can guarantee
I would have done the same.

He tried to save the commune,
but for a very simple reason.

Because he knew well

that if they'd find out
about a murder at San Patrignano,

the vultures that were always
circling over it

would have quickly swooped down violently.

My role in the commune
is that of a doctor who sees a patient,

of a priest who listens to a confession.

-[man] But above all, you are a citizen.
-Sure.

So if you know of a murder,
you have to report it.

No, if I know of a murder,
I could report it.

[continues indistinctly]

For a priest, people who confess to him
are believers or sinners…

uh, who confess their sins
under the holy seal of confession.

[man] Can you confirm

you heard of the Maranzano murder
three months later and not immediately?

It was more than that,
four or five and a half months later.

If I had known about it,

it would have been easier
to unburden my soul

by reporting it
rather than hold the torment of a secret

which I had to keep,
as the law allows me to, after all.

[Cantelli] That's when I started
to have doubts.

He said things in public

which to me sounded…

not really convincing.

When he said that his silence was…

linked to the responsibility

that he had for our lives.

That sounded like a loophole.

He may have not known on the same day,
but surely he must have known…

not months after.

[Andreucci] Who decided
to make the 600 kilometer drive?

The perpetrators of the murder?

Or one of Muccioli's collaborators
without his knowledge?

The logic of the events
would lead to the conclusion

that he knew everything
from the very beginning

because he had the money,
the means, the resources,

the power to authorize people to travel.

Putting all these things together,

the prosecution claimed that Muccioli
couldn't have been unaware,

and so he could have been
held responsible for aiding

and abetting the crime.

[reporter] Vincenzo Muccioli
received a warrant for aiding and abetting

the homicide of Roberto Maranzano.

His version wasn't convincing enough.

I'm only going to state
what I already said.

I won't talk about what I don't know.

[reporter] When did Muccioli
hear about the murder,

three months later or on that same day,
as some witnesses testified?

Many things that aren't true at all.

On May 16th, Vincenzo Muccioli
will stand trial in this courtroom.

[Delogu] The Maranzano murder
was a shaking event that really hit him.

I never agreed with the pigsty setup.

It slipped out of his hands

by not putting an end to it from the start
and reporting the murder.

The idea of the tape
stemmed from the friction

that slowly grew,

uh, between Vincenzo and I.

When we were alone, he talked a lot.
He'd say all the things he thought.

Um, and sometimes…

Well, many times, I didn't agree with him.

He used to tell me some things

when we were in the car
about the Maranzano murder

that he wouldn't say when we were outside.

I pressed REC, and I recorded him.

[tense music playing|

Before leaving San Patrignano,
I said, "Look, Vincenzo,

I want to be loyal to you until the end.

If you mistreat me or hurt me,
I warn you that I have taken precautions.

This is the tape."

I pressed "play"

and let him hear the whole recording.

He said, "Did you record me?"
I said, "I did."

Another twist in the Muccioli trial.

Sensational statements
during the trial today.

A witness makes strong accusations
against the founder of San Patrignano.

[newswoman] A tense afternoon

after a mysterious tape
was brought in as evidence.

There is a tape which is alleged
to have recordings of a conversation

where Muccioli asked his former driver

to kill a witness
of the Maranzano homicide.

[Delogu] To this day,
many people accuse me

of betraying Vincenzo,
but what betrayal?

It wasn't me who betrayed him.
It was he who betrayed me.

But let's hear this famous conversation
recorded by Delogu.

[tense music rising]

[Vincenzo Muccioli speaking]

[cassette player clicks]

[reflective instrumental music plays]

Subtitle translation by
Angelica Lacetera