Salvatore Raimondi Released After Serving Sentence for 2006 Kidnapping of Little Tommy Onofri
Parma, Italy – August 30, 2025 – Salvatore Raimondi, one of the men convicted in the infamous 2006 kidnapping and murder of 18-month-old Tommaso “Tommy” Onofri, has been released from prison after serving his full sentence. The 46-year-old, who was sentenced to 20 years for the abduction but cleared of the actual killing, walked free from Forlì prison in recent weeks, marking the end of nearly two decades behind bars. The development has reignited pain for the victim’s family, with Tommy’s mother, Paola Pellinghelli, expressing profound bitterness over what she calls an “injustice” that leaves her family “condemned for life.”
The case, one of Italy’s most shocking crimes, captivated the nation and drew international attention due to its brutality. On the evening of March 2, 2006, in the quiet hamlet of Casalbaroncolo near Parma, two masked intruders broke into the Onofri family home during dinner. They tied up the parents—Paolo Onofri and Paola Pellinghelli—and Tommy’s siblings with adhesive tape, then snatched the toddler from his highchair. The kidnappers, believing the family had significant wealth, intended to demand a ransom, but the child was killed shortly after in a panic, fearing police pursuit. Tommy’s body was discovered a month later, on April 1, 2006, buried in a wooded area along Via del Traglione, showing signs of strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head.
The Crime and Investigation
The breakthrough came from forensic evidence: A fingerprint on the adhesive tape used to bind the family belonged to Raimondi, a 27-year-old former boxer and petty criminal at the time. Investigations revealed he had obtained phone numbers under false names and contacted his accomplice, Mario Alessi, a bricklayer who had previously worked on the Onofri home. On April 1, 2006, Raimondi, Alessi, and Alessi’s partner Antonella Conserva were arrested. Raimondi was the first to confess, admitting to the kidnapping but blaming Alessi for the murder. He claimed Alessi struck Tommy with a hoe and suffocated him after Raimondi had left the scene on a moped.
The court trial, beginning in March 2007, saw intense finger-pointing between Raimondi and Alessi. Judges credited Raimondi’s account, sentencing him to 20 years (reduced to about 16 years with good behavior and plea bargain discounts) for kidnapping with the unintended consequence of death. Alessi received life imprisonment for the murder and kidnapping, while Conserva was sentenced to 24 years as an accomplice and designated “jailer.” Conserva, now 51, is nearing the end of her sentence at a prison in Mantua and has received some release permits. Alessi, 65, remains incarcerated under life without parole, though he may seek semi-freedom in the coming years.
Raimondi’s sentence was extended by three and a half years in 2018 for extortion involving gambling in Ferrara prison, which he has always denied. He was granted semi-freedom last summer, working as a warehouse clerk in Forlì, and completed his full term earlier this year.
Family’s Heartbreaking Response
Paola Pellinghelli, now raising Tommy’s surviving brother Sebastiano (who was eight at the time), learned of Raimondi’s release through media reports. In interviews with La Gazzetta di Parma and other outlets, she voiced her anguish: “Raimondi free? I expected it sooner or later, since he was already on semi-freedom. Let him enjoy his life; we are condemned forever.” Pellinghelli, whose husband Paolo died in 2014 after a coma following a 2008 heart attack, emphasized that the family’s grief has no end. “I think of my son every day… I don’t wish harm on any of the three—if they believe, they’ll answer to God. But I don’t want to hear about forgiveness. They are all on the same level; helping justice doesn’t make him less responsible.”
She described reliving the horror daily and rejected any notion of leniency for such grave crimes: “The only true life sentence is mine. They took away my son’s chance to live, while Raimondi gets to rebuild his.” Pellinghelli has previously criticized prison benefits for the perpetrators, calling them “scandalous” and arguing that sentences for such offenses should be served in full.
Raimondi, who married another inmate in 2016, underwent rehabilitation during his incarceration. His lawyer, Marco Gramiacci, described him as a “model prisoner” who earned semi-freedom through good conduct and now seeks to maintain his job post-release.
Legacy of a National Tragedy
The Tommy Onofri case shocked Italy, sparking widespread solidarity campaigns, media coverage, and debates on child safety and criminal justice. It led to heightened scrutiny of forensic techniques, like fingerprint analysis via the AFIS system, which cracked the case. The tragedy also highlighted vulnerabilities in rural homes and the psychological toll on families.
As Raimondi steps into freedom, the Onofri family continues to grieve. Pellinghelli has shared stories of feeling Tommy’s “presence” through signs, like a toy sword playing music unprompted, and believes he helps others in need. The case remains a poignant reminder of irreversible loss, with no closure for those left behind.
Sources: La Gazzetta di Parma, Fanpage.it, Il Mattino, L’Unione Sarda, Wikipedia, Adnkronos, La Repubblica, Corriere della Sera, Il Tempo