The autopsy examinations on the remains of Antonella Salamone and on the bodies of her children Emanuel, aged 5, and Kevin, aged 16, who were tortured and killed in their home in Altavilla, were concluded very late yesterday evening in the forensic medicine institute of the Polyclinic of Palermo.
It was the woman's husband and father of the two boys, Giovanni Barreca, who confessed to the massacre, aided by his 17-year-old daughter and two alleged accomplices, Sabrina Fina and Massimo Caradente, who convinced them to perform a sort of exorcism on their relatives to "free them from the devil".
The autopsies on the tortured bodies of the boys confirmed what had already been highlighted by the medical examiner: the two brothers were abused and tortured.
On the bodies there are evident signs of burns and mistreatment of all kinds admitted even by the 17 year old who confessed to having actively participated in the massacre.
As for the mamma's remains, they will have to wait for the DNA test and a whole series of investigations on the bones found buried and burned.
To establish the exact causes of death (there has always been talk of strangulation or suffocation) more in-depth examinations will be necessary.
The deadlines for submitting the final report are 90 days.
Whoever had first entered that house had spoken of pure horror.
A shocking vision confirmed by the words of the chief prosecutor of Termini Imerese Ambrogio Cartosio during the press conference: "in many years of my career I have never seen anything more horrible".
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