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Kidnapping and murder of Giuseppe Di Matteo

SOLVED1993Altofonte, Province of Palermo, Sicily, Italy3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

Giuseppe Di Matteo was the 12-year-old son of Santino Di Matteo, a member of the Sicilian Mafia from Altofonte, in the Province of Palermo, Sicily. Santino Di Matteo took part in the May 1992 killing of anti-Mafia judge Giovanni Falcone. After his arrest on 4 June 1993, he became a government witness, or pentito, giving prosecutors detailed testimony about the assassination. In retaliation for his cooperation, the Mafia targeted his family.

On 23 November 1993, men posing as police officers abducted Giuseppe Di Matteo, telling him he was being taken to see his father, who was then under police protection on the Italian mainland. The kidnapping was ordered by Giovanni Brusca and other senior Mafia figures. One of the men involved, Gaspare Spatuzza, later described the abduction in his own confession after he became a pentito.

Santino Di Matteo traveled to Sicily in an attempt to negotiate his son's release. Giuseppe Di Matteo was held for 779 days, during which he became physically ill as a result of mistreatment and torture. On 11 January 1996, he was strangled on Giovanni Brusca's orders by three men — Enzo Brusca, Giovanni's brother, Vincenzo Chiodo, and Salvatore Monticciolo. His body was then dissolved in a barrel of acid, a Mafia practice known as lupara bianca that leaves no remains to recover.

In 1997, Santino Di Matteo and Giovanni Brusca came face to face during court proceedings. Di Matteo told the judge, "I guarantee my collaboration, but to this animal I guarantee nothing. If you leave me alone with him for two minutes, I'll cut his head off," and had to be restrained by court security guards. Brusca separately asked Giuseppe Di Matteo's family for forgiveness, as did Gaspare Spatuzza at his own later trial.

Italian courts convicted more than a dozen people for the kidnapping and murder between 1999 and 2016. In 1999, the Corte d'Assise of Palermo sentenced Giovanni Brusca to 30 years, Enzo Brusca to 28 years, and Vincenzo Chiodo to 27 years, along with two further men to 20 years each. Additional convictions followed in later years as more Mafia members became government witnesses: three men were sentenced to life imprisonment in 2006, three more were sentenced to 30 years each in 2010, and five men — including Matteo Messina Denaro — were sentenced to life imprisonment in 2012, when Gaspare Spatuzza, who had taken part in the original kidnapping, was separately sentenced to 12 years for his cooperation. A further defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2016 after testimony from another Mafia witness.

Key facts

Victims
Giuseppe Di Matteo
Date
1993
Location
Altofonte, Province of Palermo, Sicily, Italy
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1993-06-04

    Santino Di Matteo, the father of Giuseppe Di Matteo, is arrested and becomes a government witness (pentito), testifying about the 1992 killing of judge Giovanni Falcone.

  2. 1993-11-23

    Giuseppe Di Matteo, 12, is abducted by men posing as police officers who tell him he is being taken to see his father; the kidnapping is ordered by Giovanni Brusca and other senior Mafia figures, in retaliation for his father's cooperation with prosecutors.

  3. 1996-01-11

    After 779 days in captivity, during which he became ill from mistreatment and torture, Giuseppe Di Matteo is strangled on Giovanni Brusca's orders by three men — Enzo Brusca, Vincenzo Chiodo, and Salvatore Monticciolo; his body is then dissolved in acid.

  4. 1997

    Santino Di Matteo and Giovanni Brusca confront each other in court; Di Matteo is restrained by security guards after telling the judge he would harm Brusca if left alone with him.

  5. 1999

    The Corte d'Assise of Palermo sentences Giovanni Brusca to 30 years, Enzo Brusca to 28 years, and Vincenzo Chiodo to 27 years, along with two further men, for their roles in the kidnapping and murder.

  6. 2006

    After a Mafia member who cooperated with prosecutors is sentenced to 14 years, three further men are sentenced to life imprisonment for their roles in the murder.

  7. 2010

    Following Gaspare Spatuzza's cooperation with prosecutors, three more men are sentenced to 30 years each for their roles in the murder.

  8. 2012

    Matteo Messina Denaro and four other men are sentenced to life imprisonment, and Gaspare Spatuzza — who had taken part in the original kidnapping — is sentenced to 12 years, for their roles in the murder.

  9. 2016

    A further defendant is sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the murder, following testimony from another Mafia witness.

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People

  • Enzo Brusca

    CONVICTED

    Brother of Giovanni Brusca; named as one of three men who killed Giuseppe Di Matteo; sentenced in 1999 by the Corte d'Assise of Palermo to 28 years in prison.

  • Matteo Messina Denaro

    CONVICTED

    Sentenced to life imprisonment in 2012 for a role in the murder of Giuseppe Di Matteo.

  • Gaspare Spatuzza

    CONVICTED

    Described in his own later confession as one of the men who abducted Giuseppe Di Matteo while posing as a police officer; became a Mafia state witness (pentito) and was sentenced in 2012 to 12 years in prison for his role in the murder.

  • Salvatore Monticciolo

    CONVICTED

    Named as one of three men who killed Giuseppe Di Matteo on Giovanni Brusca's orders. The source's account of the 1999 sentencing lists a 'Giuseppe Monticciolo' receiving 20 years from the Corte d'Assise of Palermo for a role in the murder; this dossier treats the two mentions as probably the same person but flags the discrepancy for review.

  • Giuseppe Di Matteo

    VICTIM

    12-year-old son of Mafia informant Santino Di Matteo; abducted on 23 November 1993 in retaliation for his father's cooperation with prosecutors, held for 779 days, and killed on 11 January 1996.

  • Giovanni Brusca

    CONVICTED

    Ordered the kidnapping and killing of Giuseppe Di Matteo; sentenced in 1999 by the Corte d'Assise of Palermo to 30 years in prison for his role in the murder.

  • Vincenzo Chiodo

    CONVICTED

    Named as one of three men who killed Giuseppe Di Matteo; sentenced in 1999 by the Corte d'Assise of Palermo to 27 years in prison.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Altofonte, Province of Palermo, Sicily, Italy

38.0330, 13.2830

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Common questions

What happened to Giuseppe?
In November 1993, the Sicilian Mafia kidnapped 12-year-old Giuseppe Di Matteo in retaliation for his father Santino Di Matteo's cooperation with anti-Mafia prosecutors. Held for 779 days and mistreated, the boy was strangled in January 1996 and his body dissolved in acid; more than a dozen Mafia members were convicted for the kidnapping and murder in trials held between 1999 and 2016.
Where did the murder happen?
Altofonte, Province of Palermo, Sicily, Italy.
Who was convicted?
Enzo Brusca (Brother of Giovanni Brusca; named as one of three men who killed Giuseppe Di Matteo; sentenced in 1999 by the Corte d'Assise of Palermo to 28 years in prison.), Matteo Messina Denaro (Sentenced to life imprisonment in 2012 for a role in the murder of Giuseppe Di Matteo.), Gaspare Spatuzza (Described in his own later confession as one of the men who abducted Giuseppe Di Matteo while posing as a police officer; became a Mafia state witness (pentito) and was sentenced in 2012 to 12 years in prison for his role in the murder.), Salvatore Monticciolo (Named as one of three men who killed Giuseppe Di Matteo on Giovanni Brusca's orders. The source's account of the 1999 sentencing lists a 'Giuseppe Monticciolo' receiving 20 years from the Corte d'Assise of Palermo for a role in the murder; this dossier treats the two mentions as probably the same person but flags the discrepancy for review.), Giovanni Brusca (Ordered the kidnapping and killing of Giuseppe Di Matteo; sentenced in 1999 by the Corte d'Assise of Palermo to 30 years in prison for his role in the murder.), and Vincenzo Chiodo (Named as one of three men who killed Giuseppe Di Matteo; sentenced in 1999 by the Corte d'Assise of Palermo to 27 years in prison.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
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Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICSantino Di MatteoWikipedia · 2026-07-12
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — The GuardianThe Guardian · 2026-07-12
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — BBC NewsBBC News · 2026-07-12

Record history

First published
JUL 13, 2026