Italian Court Reopens Probe into Prada Manager’s Fatal Statue Strike

Key points

• Italian Juvenile Court of Appeals ordered the case reopened on Thursday to determine how Jaconis was killed.
• Jaconis, 30, died in September 2024 after being struck by a statue thrown from a third-floor balcony in Naples.
• The boy who threw the object was 13 and not criminally liable under Italian law, which exempts children under 14.
• Investigators found two statues fell that day: a 4.85-pound Akhenaten statuette and a 10-pound Nefertiti bust.
• The boy’s parents were charged with manslaughter for failing to secure the balcony and supervise their son.
• Jaconis’s mother, Cristina Venturi, stated that two years have passed and she is still waiting for justice.

Background

This incident occurred two years after Jaconis’s death in September 2024. She was in Naples celebrating her 30th birthday with her boyfriend, Livio Rousseau, when she was struck while wheeling luggage through the Spanish Quarter. Jaconis had worked for Prada since 2022, managing stores in France, Monaco, and Belgium, after previous roles at L’Oréal, Givenchy, and Christian Louboutin. The boy had a history of throwing items, including tablets and remote controls, from the balcony. No one has been convicted of her death, and the parents have denied wrongdoing.

Why it matters

The case highlights the legal complexities of holding minors accountable for fatal accidents in Italy and the ongoing struggle for victims’ families to seek justice when perpetrators are below the age of criminal responsibility. It also raises questions about parental liability and safety standards in residential buildings.

What to watch

A ballistics assessment will determine which statue caused the fatal injury. The parents’ manslaughter trial will proceed, and Jaconis’s family will continue to advocate for accountability.