It has been twelve years since the body of Italian cameraman Mario Biondo, husband of well-known TV presenter Raquel Sánchez Silva, was found in Madrid. A story that once seemed closed has returned to the spotlight following a recent court decision.
This time, a court in Madrid acknowledged that there are grounds to doubt whether the tragedy was a suicide. Previously, a similar conclusion was reached by a court in Palermo, where new evidence gathered by Italian investigators was reviewed. The document, signed by three judges, notes that for the first time a complaint has been filed against specific individuals, and numerous expert reports and a copy of a court decision have been submitted, indicating that Biondo’s death may not have been the result of suicide.
Nevertheless, the appeal was rejected on procedural grounds—the case had already been previously examined. The court’s decision emphasizes that immediately after the body was discovered, additional investigative actions, such as wiretapping and collecting phone data, should have been conducted, but were not. Now, years later, it is no longer possible to carry out these procedures.
The Biondo family’s lawyers have filed a complaint with the Madrid court, pointing to inconsistencies between the evidence and the official account. The family’s representative, attorney Leire Lopez, believes the new ruling strengthens confidence that Mario was the victim of a crime, possibly meticulously planned. She also announced plans to appeal to the Constitutional Court, and if necessary—to the European Court of Human Rights—to seek the reopening of the investigation and the conduct of new forensic examinations in Spain.
At the same time, the family’s legal team has filed a claim for damages against the judicial system, arguing that the investigation, forensic examination, and ultimate closure of the case were handled with serious errors, preventing the collection of additional evidence. Consequently, the Madrid court has partially supported the conclusions of their Italian counterparts, who earlier considered the investigation in Spain insufficient.
The Biondo case, despite the passage of years, remains controversial and continues to trouble his loved ones. The family insists on a full and transparent investigation to finally determine what happened on that May day in 2013. The basis for the new complaint was a resolution by Judge Nicola Aiello of Palermo, prepared on the basis of new information gathered in Italy. It states that the evidence points to murder and that the body was positioned to stage the appearance of suicide. These arguments have now been recognized in Madrid as well.
In the coming days, the family’s lawyers and Mario’s parents plan to hold a press conference in Barcelona to share details about the new court ruling and their next steps.
