Salvatore Aldobrandi, a former restaurateur in Linköping, was sentenced to life imprisonment in December 2024 for the murder of Sargonia Dankha, a 21-year-old woman who vanished from the Swedish city in 1995. The Genoa Court of Appeal reduced the sentence to 14 years, citing mitigating circumstances. The specific factors behind the reduction have not been disclosed.
No body has ever been found, making this the first time an Italian citizen was prosecuted in Italy for a murder committed in another country, according to multiple reports. Aldobrandi was 25 years older than Dankha, and she was last seen crossing Trädgårdstorget in Linköping on November 13, 1995.
We didn't know if it would be possible, to my knowledge it has never been done before. But when we initiated a judicial cooperation with Sweden, and saw the thorough investigation they had done, we understood that it might be possible.
During the appeal hearing, Aldobrandi arrived half an hour late, using a crutch, according to reports. Dankha's family—her brother Ninos and mother Ghriba—did not attend the hearing, citing mental health concerns. In an official statement, they said: "We experienced his behavior as aggressive and manipulative and it affected us both greatly. Attending a second hearing could affect our mental health and ability to heal and move on." Aldobrandi had received several warnings during the trial for threatening and disrespectful behavior, according to reports.
The family's lawyer, Francesco Rubino, expressed partial dissatisfaction with the sentence length but noted that the murder conviction was reaffirmed. According to Östgöta Correspondenten, Ghriba Shabo described her last words with her daughter: "See you mom, we'll meet in town on Monday. We were supposed to meet at four when I finished work and buy furniture for the kitchen." Rubino said in a press conference: "We didn't know if it would be possible, to my knowledge it has never been done before. But when we initiated a judicial cooperation with Sweden, and saw the thorough investigation they had done, we understood that it might be possible." It remains unclear whether the prosecution will appeal the reduced sentence.
The last words she said to me were: 'See you mom, we'll meet in town on Monday.' We were supposed to meet at four when I finished work and buy furniture for the kitchen.