Rimini, August 15, 2026 – A Ferragosto as a free man. After the last two summers spent behind bars in Rimini prison, Louis Dassilva – the 36-year-old Senegalese acquitted in the first instance for the murder of Pierina Paganelli, committed on via del Ciclamino on October 3, 2023 – is preparing to spend August 15 away from the cell and trying, little by little, to put the pieces of his life back together.
Dassilva’s days of relaxation
Dassilva stayed in the area, he has not planned any trips or departures. He spends his days in relaxation, without much fuss and together with Valeria Bartolucci, his wife. A very different situation compared to the first weeks after his release, when to stay away from media attention he changed accommodation several times and slept every night in a different place.
Farewell to via del Ciclamino
On via del Ciclamino, where he lived before his arrest in July 2024 and where Pierina was killed on October 3, 2023, he has not returned to live. His daily life has moved elsewhere, still around Rimini. And so it will be for Ferragosto as well.
Return to work
The most important news could come in September. Dassilva is indeed waiting to return to work. The plan is to resume his old job in the metalworking sector, although the final details are still to be defined. It would be the most concrete step towards returning to the life he led before the arrest.
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The judicial case
Of course, the judicial case remains on the table. The update is given by lawyer Riario Fabbri, one of Dassilva’s defenders along with Andrea Guidi. “We are waiting for September 7, when the reasons for the sentence will be filed. From that moment the Prosecutor’s Office will have 45 days to file an appeal,” explains the lawyer. The sentence, as already leaked in the days immediately following the end of the trial, will certainly be appealed. At that point, Fabbri adds, “we will file a counter-argument against what the Prosecutor’s Office will claim and it will go to the Appeal. We are confident in our positions and in Dassilva’s absolute innocence, already confirmed in the first instance. The battle is still long.” As for Dassilva’s state of mind, Fabbri describes a serene Louis after the first months spent outside prison: “He is calm. Now it is a moment of absolute tranquility for him after many worries.”
Acquittal in the first instance
On the night of June 10, the Rimini Court of Assizes acquitted Dassilva, ordering his immediate release after more than 16 hours of deliberation. Dassilva was the only defendant for the death of Pierina Paganelli, the 78-year-old retiree killed on the evening of October 3, 2023, in the garage of the condominium on via del Ciclamino, Rimini. The body was found the following morning by daughter-in-law Manuela Bianchi. The autopsy found 29 stab wounds. For the Rimini Prosecutor’s Office, Dassilva, the victim’s neighbor and linked by a clandestine relationship with Manuela, was behind the crime. The charge at trial was very serious: aggravated voluntary manslaughter. During the proceedings, the 36-year-old was accused of aggravating factors related to motive, cruelty, the victim’s diminished defense, and premeditation.
