What happened
Three-year-old Samuele Lorenzi was killed in the family home in Cogne in 2002, and suspicion soon centered on his mother, Annamaria Franzoni.
The investigation
Investigators relied on blood-pattern evidence, timing and the lack of evidence for an outside intruder. The defense disputed the forensic interpretation throughout multiple trials.
What the courts or investigators concluded
Franzoni was ultimately convicted and sentenced to prison, while continuing to deny killing her son.
Why the case remains significant
The case became a national media obsession and one of Italy’s best-known examples of a family homicide litigated through competing forensic reconstructions.
Case context
Crime by Region organizes cases geographically so readers can move from one file to other investigations from the same country. For unresolved or contested cases, the wording above reflects the distinction between confirmed events, investigative theories and findings actually established in court.