What happened
In 2001, Susy Cassini and her young son Gianluca De Nardo were killed in their home in Novi Ligure. Initial claims of an outside intruder quickly collapsed.
The investigation
Investigators found inconsistencies in the account given by 16-year-old Erika De Nardo and evidence linking her and boyfriend Mauro Favaro to the killings.
What the courts or investigators concluded
Both teenagers were convicted and received prison sentences under Italy’s juvenile justice system.
Why the case remains significant
The case shocked Italy because the perpetrators were adolescents and because early media narratives about a stranger attack shifted dramatically once investigators reconstructed the family crime.
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.