Cinzia Dal Pino received an 18-year sentence after being convicted of voluntary manslaughter regarding the death of Noureddine Mezgui
Credit: Aleandro Biagianti/AGF/Shutterstock
NEED TO KNOW
- Cinzia Dal Pino has received an 18-year sentence after she fatally struck a man with her car in Viareggio, Italy
- Surveillance footage captured Dal Pino chasing Noureddine Mezgui with her car and hitting him repeatedly before getting her bag and driving away
- She has been convicted of voluntary manslaughter regarding the incident, which occurred on Sept. 8, 2024
An Italian socialite is facing an 18-year sentence for fatally hitting a man with her car after he stole her bag.
On Sept. 8, 2024, Cinzia Dal Pino, a beach resort entrepreneur in her sixties, was seen on surveillance footage appearing to chase Noureddine Mezgui, a homeless Moroccan national, with her car in the town of Viareggio, over 200 miles north of Rome, local newspaper Corriere della Sera reported.
She allegedly hit him multiple times with her vehicle before retrieving her bag that he had stolen and driving away. Dal Pino was arrested while praying in a nearby church the following day, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.
In a court appearance on Thursday, June 11, Dal Pino was sentenced on voluntary manslaughter.
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During a previous court appearance in December 2025, Dal Pino alleged that Mezgui "ran" at her after she put her bag on the passenger seat of her car, adding that she thought "he was going to hurt me," per Corriere della Sera, translated from Italian.
She decided to follow him as "I had everything in my bag," she explained. "My documents, my watch, and a note with all the passwords to my bank accounts and other important logins. I didn't want that man to be able to trace them," said Dal Pino.
She continued, "I drove toward him, toward the sidewalk. I didn't want to kill him, just knock him down so I could stop him — I didn't even realize I'd hit him. Then, after the first maneuver, it seemed to me he was getting up again; I didn't think I'd killed him."
While appearing in court to face a charge of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated by cruelty, on Thursday, June 11, Dal Pino was joined by her daughter.
Credit: Aleandro Biagianti/AGF/Shutterstock
The court ruled that she will be able to serve her 18-year sentence under house arrest for the time being, per Corriere della Sera. According to ANSA, if the conviction is upheld at a final hearing, she may be sent to prison for the remainder of her sentence.
During a previous hearing, prosecutors had requested a life sentence, claiming Dal Pino ran Mezgui down with "excessive revenge," while the socialite's defense asked for her charge to be downgraded to "negligent excess of self-defense," per Corriere della Sera and Il Sole 24 Ore.
Dal Pino's lawyer announced plans to appeal, while one of Mezgui's family's lawyers said the verdict was "the decision we've been waiting for," ANSA reported.
A process of restorative justice has begun, the outlets reported, which could mean a reduced sentence for Dal Pino if both parties can come to an agreement.
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