A 21-year-old man accused of fatally stabbing a man over a pair of headphones worth approximately $15 has apologized to the victim’s family during his appeal trial. Daniele Rezza, who was convicted in July 2025 of the October 11, 2024, killing of Manuel Mastrapasqua in Rozzano, Italy, expressed remorse at the start of proceedings in Milan on Monday, March 11, 2026. The case has drawn attention to issues of petty crime and its tragic consequences.
Rezza, sentenced to 27 years in prison, addressed the family, saying, “I feel sorry toward the family: I didn’t aim for to take his life, I can say sorry many times, but I’ve understood in this year and a half that I can’t give back a son, a brother.” The statement was met with outrage from Mastrapasqua’s relatives, who reportedly shouted “Shut up!” at Rezza.
Meanwhile, Rezza’s defense team is seeking a psychiatric evaluation, arguing he lacks the capacity to fully understand his actions. The defense claims the 21-year-old suffers from “a dysregulation of emotional functions that causes disproportionate reactions,” and is unable to control his impulses due to a psychiatric condition. Judges have agreed to the evaluation, which will aim to determine if a mental disorder influenced his conduct.
The prosecution countered that Rezza’s inability to manage anger is indicative of an immature and aggressive character, not necessarily a pathology. Substitute General Prosecutor Olimpia Bossi argued that there is no clinical evidence to support a diagnosis. “The inability to manage anger is characteristic of an aggressive and immature character, but to say that This proves a pathology seems excluded to me, both clinically and from the documents deposited by the defense itself,” Bossi stated.
The court will assign questions for the psychiatric evaluation and set a deadline for the expert’s report at a hearing on March 18. Both the prosecution, the defense, and the Mastrapasqua family’s legal representatives will be able to appoint their own consultants to follow the assessment.
According to the initial investigation, Mastrapasqua was returning home from function when he was attacked by Rezza and stabbed near the heart. Rezza reportedly told authorities after his arrest on October 13, 2024, that he intended to steal anything he could resell. He was apprehended after fleeing the scene and traveling by train and bus to Alessandria.
The initial sentencing took into account the combination of the homicide and the robbery, while excluding an aggravating factor of intentionality between the two crimes. The court did recognize mitigating circumstances related to Rezza’s “immaturity.” The defense has emphasized that Rezza is currently taking medication for schizophrenia, while the family’s lawyer, Roberta Minotti, noted that assessments of Rezza’s cognitive function have been normal.
Tension flared again at the end of Monday’s hearing when family members reportedly told Rezza, who was present in the defendant’s cage, “Why are you laughing? You deserve to rot in prison.”
