The ex-wife of slain fashion heir Maurizio Gucci was convicted of his murder Tuesday and sentenced to 29 years in prison. Four co-defendants were also convicted.
The verdict came only hours after Patrizia Reggiani Martinelli made a final appeal for mercy before a crowded courtroom, saying she was naive and involved in her former husband's murder against her will.The prosecution had asked for the maximum - a life sentence. But the panel of two judges and five citizens instead sentenced the 50-year-old Reggiani Martinelli to 29 years in prison.
Reggiani Martinelli, accused of murdering her ex-husband to gain control of his fortune, said after the verdict that her innocence would eventually be believed. "Truth is the child of time," she said, according to her lawyer.
Also convicted were Reggiani Martinelli's longtime psychic adviser, Giuseppina Auriemma, a hotel doorman, a debt-ridden pizzeria owner accused of shooting Gucci and an unemployed auto worker who prosecutors said drove the getaway car.
All but Gucci's ex-wife and the pizzeria owner confessed.
Aureiemma was sentenced to 25 years in prison, the doorman got 26, the driver got 29 years. The pizzeria owner was sentenced to life.
Gucci, 46, was shot to death March 27, 1995, outside his Milan office. He was the grandson of Guccio Gucci, founder of the fashion company known for its leather goods and double "G" logo.
Maurizio Gucci was the last Gucci to hold a stake in the company, but he sold out for $120 million in 1993 after a long history of family discord.