La Spezia – Not a sign of repentance, not a doubt. Alfredo Zenucchi asks to “see one last time” the woman he killed. He explains without hesitation the ways in which he acted. And what emerges from his own words is a sort of parallel world, in which – according to his story – two human beings aged 53 and 57 made a “death pact”, in which there was only one victim. He, with a past of addiction and community, “I'm not a drug addict, I use heroin when I want”. She, persecuted by an eating disorder, which has always prevented her from gaining a balanced weight, and which had prevented her from motherhood, which he confided had always been a dream of his. Regardless of the news, beyond what justice will ascertain, the story of Rossella and Zenucchi raises elements for reflection.
«It is necessary to make the investigative operators work on the specific case. They know how to do it and have already focused on a very clear reconstruction. From my point of view, the first consideration I feel like making is that any form of internal suffering must be faced, whatever it is. And don't keep it inside her. If we don't face it, if we don't get help, the suffering ends up bringing more suffering.” Criminologist Stefano Padovano deals with uncomfortable situations on a daily basis. He works with the institutions, he deals precisely with what are defined as “unsolved problems”. And the investigators have exposed an existential criticality in the tragic end of Rossella Cominotti, killed by the man she had married a few months ago. «It is evident – the professor points out – that a mechanism of suffering was present in the couple. And that it hadn't been addressed. This aspect is close to my heart, because there are a thousand possibilities of taking charge when faced with a request for help. And the need for a helping hand should not be seen as a stigma.”
Pain, he underlines, is part of the human journey. If you face it, if you become aware of it, you can learn to live with your fragilities. «If, however, it is set aside, if a previous problem is dragged on – she explains – dynamics of violence can be created. Regardless of whether the violence is committed or suffered.” In general, he explains, drawing on several cases dealt with in his profession, eating disorders, former addiction, emotional fragility, incompleteness, can trigger situations of very marked discomfort. «Always in general terms – he continues – it's not that having a relationship necessarily helps. Having a partner is not in itself a help. It can also be the opposite. Because to help yourself you need tools. And the tools are there, if you accept that you have a problem.”
As described by the investigators, the relationship between the murdered woman and the man she had recently married had turned into a sort of “death pact”, about which they did not speak to anyone. On the contrary. Rossella had distanced herself from her contacts and no longer wrote on social media. «Cases like this – explains Professor Padovano – in which violence is unleashed within family contexts, in which particular situations are present, highlight aspects of suffering in which those who bear the pain should bring it out. Sorry, because a request for help is not a shame».
It was once again a woman who died, in an unfortunately brutal way. A woman who, according to the testimonies of her family, had changed her behavior, withdrawing into herself. The criminologist has already noted several times that “cases of violence against women are much more numerous than those reported” and has already clarified that “there is a serious problem”. However, he believes that the way to address it lies in broadening the topic and the gaze to all psychological support measures, not confining the phenomenon to a gender perspective in the strict sense. «Help must be asked for – he reiterates – not necessarily and not only to anti-violence centers. The issue of discomfort is much broader. There are a thousand possibilities of being supported. A consultation, a project, an accompaniment to awareness. We go to the orthopedist without a problem. We don't see why we should hesitate to ask for psychological or psychiatric support. Even in couple relationships.”
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