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The Court of Appeal in Rome overturns the life sentence for Raul Esteban Calderon, considered a hitman for drug cartels in the Italian capital.
"He was declared innocent because he did not commit the act." With this decision, the Court of Appeal in Rome has overturned the life sentence handed down to Raul Esteban Calderon, also known as Gustavo Alejandro Musumeci, accused of the murder of Fabrizio Piscitelli, known as "Diabolik", a former ultras leader and a well-known figure in drug trafficking in Rome.
Calderon was convicted in the first instance of premeditated murder, but appeals judges ruled that the evidence presented by the prosecution was not sufficient to confirm his guilt.
At the center of the trial was the video of the assassination attempt that took place on August 7, 2019 in Via Lemonia, near the Aqueduct Park in Rome. In the footage, Piscitelli is seen sitting on a bench next to his bodyguard, when a person dressed as a runner approaches and shoots at him without stopping running. According to the court, the poor quality of the footage does not allow for the reliable identification of the perpetrator and the footage cannot be used as convincing evidence, not even by the scientific police.
The General Prosecutor's Office had requested confirmation of the life sentence with the aggravation of the mafia method. Investigators had also brought to court wiretaps from the premises of Albanian drug traffickers in the Monte Spaccato area, where the phrase was heard: "The Argentine killed Diabolik, all of Rome knows it." These wiretaps were also considered insufficient to support the maximum sentence.
The main element of the accusation remained the testimony of Calderon's former partner, Rina Bussone, now a collaborator of justice. She had stated to the prosecutor that Calderon had confessed to the murder and that the crime had been committed with a 9x21 Parabellum pistol, a weapon stolen during a robbery at a jewelry store. The weapon was never found. Bussone also claimed to have recognized the T-shirt and shorts worn by Calderon in the video. However, the second-instance judges considered the witness not entirely credible.
The situation is completely different for another mafia murder. Calderon was sentenced in the first and second instance to life imprisonment for the execution of Selavdi Shebai, an Albanian drug trafficker known by the nickname "Passerotto", killed on September 20, 2020 on the beach of Torvaianica. According to the investigation, the murder was committed in exchange for a payment of 150 thousand euros. Giuseppe Molisso, known as "Barba", accused of being an accomplice in the crime, was also given the same sentence.
In 2025, authorities arrested Albanian Altin Sinomati in Abu Dhabi, considered the mastermind of the murder.
According to Italian investigators, Calderon has built a significant profile in Rome's criminal world for years. Also known by the nickname "Francisco", he is suspected of participating in the assassination of brothers Emanuele and Alessio Costantini, sons of the criminal figure known as "er Verdura", during an armed attack in the Alessandrino neighborhood in July 2021.
Authorities consider Calderoni the armed wing of drug and arms trafficking organizations linked to Giuseppe Molisso and Leandro Bennato, known as “il Biondo.” This criminal group has been clashing since 2018 with the clan of Michele Senese, known as “o Pazzo,” a historical figure of the Neapolitan mafia based in the Casilino area of Rome.
In another investigation into the new criminal groups that emerged after the "Mafia Capitale" scandal, Calderon is mentioned as an active participant in the trafficking of large quantities of cocaine entering Italy. According to the investigative files, he had distributed tens of kilograms of the drug to various figures in the Roman criminal world.
After the Appeals Court's decision, the case for the murder of "Diabolik" is practically back to square one, while many shadows still remain over one of the most sensational assassinations in recent years in Italy.
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