Four years and nine months. This is the sentence set by Salerno investigative judge For Elio Persicoskipper of the gozzo he was riding Adrienne Vaughan, American tourists who later died in a collision with the sailing ship Tortuga, and his family.
Persico has chosen a plea deal and faces serious charges of murder. Vaughan, manager Bloomsbury publishers, who also published the Harry Potter books, is holidaying on the Amalfi Coast with her husband Mike Whiteand their two young children. Persico, 32 years old from Mass Lubrensewas driving the Saint Tropez high on cocaine and alcohol when he collided with the sailing ship Tortuga off the coast Fjord excitement. In the collision Vaughen fell and was killed by the propeller. Curiosities: the defendant must also compensate the manager’s family in the amount of several thousand euros: only 4,800 for two minor children; just over 3 thousand for parents.
Furor, tourists who die on beaches in 2023: skipper’s plea deal rejected
Other investigations
During the investigation process, the investigation was divided into two parts and led to the indictment (for next February) as well Enrico Staiano (employee partner) and Rosa Caputo Rosa (managing partner) from the Sorrento Peninsula-based Daily Luxory Boat srl because, taken together, they would mislead prosecutors and consultants tasked with reconstructing the accident. The two, according to investigators, would have noticed that, after the Gozzo sank, one of the two rudders was missing and they modified “a place of interest to the investigation, placing – or placing – the left rudder (already missing before the sinking) and apparently theirs, on the seabed at the point of the accident”. It was determined that they would contact a diver to simulate finding the rudder by placing it then discovered and then recovered by the Coast Guard, to show how the rudder got there. This turned out to be incorrect because the oxidation level of the rudder did not correspond – according to experts – to its presence on the seabed.
Other proceedings are also pending (dismissal requests will be discussed) involving the positions of other Daily Luxury partners on shipwreck negligence and manslaughter. The judge’s attention was drawn to the severity of the assignment of the captain’s role to Persico, despite the fact that he – already convicted in 2020 of drunk driving and with the aggravating circumstance of causing a road accident – had been employed with the qualifications of “user assistant” and the role of “customer assistant”.
Her husband
“We are relieved that justice has finally been served against Elio Persico. Waiting so long for a sentence has been an enormous burden. “The Italian justice system works very differently to the justice system in the United States and it is difficult for us to understand how the perpetrators in this case could remain free,” commented Mike White, the victim’s husband. “The investigation also revealed shocking behavior on the part of the owners of the rental company that employed Persico, behavior that justice must serve – he continued – such as the attempt to deliberately let our charter boat sail even though it had no rudder.”
The sea, the crash alarm and the surge in reports: «Posillipo, pirates on the run»
The American family paid 1,525 euros for the fatal boat trip, believing that it would be a day, if not of “luxury”, at least of absolute safety. Family (represented by lawyers Marco Bona, Anna Graziosi, Dario Costanzo, Giulia Obertoe from the American studio Kreindler & Kreindler) also held the commander and the Tortuga shipping company responsible for the ongoing party and the presence of tents covering passengers that would have restricted the commander’s view.
