Sue Addis, a 69-year-old Brighton UK based millionaire restaurateur and the proprietor of Donatello’s and Pinocchio’s, was sadly murdered by her grandson, Pietro Addis.
The then-17-year-old is now 19 and on trial for his grandmother’s murder on January 7, 2020. He has accepted responsibility for the killing by admitting to manslaughter, although he denies the murder charge.
A jury was told that the suspect had allegedly caused 17 fatal stab wounds on the victim’s chest and neck, leaving her in the bathtub to die. Afterward, he apparently called emergency services to confess to the crime, telling them that a murder had been committed and that he was turning himself in.
In the months leading up to the tragedy, Pietro had become increasingly dependent on cannabis, missing school and shifts at the family business.
Pietro’s friend George Cameron noticed a drastic change in Pietro’s behavior in the months leading up to Mrs. Addis’ death. Pietro had been cheerful before but had become sullen, morose, and suspicious.
In the days before the tragedy, his strange behavior, such as banging on his gran’s doors in the middle of the night to profess his love, alarmed friends and family.
Mrs. Addis was researching treatments for her grandson when the killing occurred, but the exact events remain unclear.
Pietro is now on trial for the crime, admitting to manslaughter but denying the murder charge.
Rossano Scamardella of the prosecuting party reported to the jury that the official narrative of the events leading to the elderly woman’s demise remains unclear, with no witnesses other than the two present in the home at the time.
What is not in dispute is that the trial of Pietro Addis is a tragic reminder of the dangers of drug use, especially among young people, and of the value of seeking necessary help to curb addiction.