The case of Lidia Macchi, summarised

Twenty nine years after the murder of Lidia Macchi, a shocking breakthrough in the investigations has put Stefano Binda in prison; Binda is accused of killing the young Varese woman.

The arrest – Stefano Binda, 48, was arrested by the police, at 6.30 a.m. in the house in Brebbia, where he lives with his mother in the apartment above the home of his sister and his nephew. Binda has lived in Brebbia for years, he attended the same school as Lidia Macchi, and frequented the Communion and Liberation circles. After graduating in philosophy, and problems due to substance abuse, he was unemployed. Click here for the article on the arrest.

The disbelief in the village – Neighbours and acquaintances were surprised at the arrest; Binda had always led a private life, but he is also acknowledged to be an interesting person, with a certain intellectual stature. Click here for the article on the reactions in the village.

New investigation – The investigation into the 1987 murder, which was initially in Varese, was taken over by the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Milan. In 2014, the report by one woman led to a turning point: the woman said she had recognised Binda’s writing in an anonymous letter sent to Lidia’s parents in 1987 and republished by the newspapers today. Click here for the poem contained in the letter.

The reconstruction of the murder and the motive – In the 1980s, Stefano Binda had a certain influence over his peers, but he also had to deal with drug addiction. Starting with some details, the reconstruction by the Public Prosecutor’s Office suggests that Lidia wanted to help Stefano, and for this reason, she ended up in the grove behind the hospital in Cittiglio, where she had sex with her presumed killer (it is not known whether it was consenting). The Public Prosecutor’s Office summarises the motive as follows. “He was afraid Lidia would tell her family, the spiritual leaders and her friends what had happened. He went crazy, took out a knife and stabbed her in the chest and neck.” Click here for the complete reconstruction of the murder.

Giving up the “Piccolomo trail” – In 2014, inquiries were made into Giuseppe Piccolomo, the bricklayer arrested and sentenced for the “severed hands crime” in Cocquio Trevisago. The Public Prosecutor’s Office gave up on this track, the theory was judged to be unfounded.

The defence – Binda has declared he is totally innocent; he denies being the killer, but also writing the letters that led to the start of the new investigation. On Tuesday, he will appear before the investigating magistrate. Click here for the article