The Tragic Case of Lorys Stival: Ten Years Later

Ten years have passed since the death of Lorys Stival, who was murdered when he was just eight years old by his mother, Veronica Panarello, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of her son. The date was November 29, 2014, and today, in Santa Croce Camerina, where father Davide Stival lives with his young son, a minute of prayer will be held to commemorate the little boy who will turn eighteen this year. A mass to commemorate the child will be celebrated in the main church of Santa Croce Camerina at 6:30 p.m. Funeral posters featuring the now sadly known photo of little Lorys with her gorgeous smile were hung on the walls of the city. This heinous crime caused great excitement in the public. An eight-and-a-half-year-old boy was strangled with cable ties. The trial upheld the mother’s final sentence of up to 30 years’ imprisonment in the third degree, with a shortened trial that was possible at the time under the previous law. The woman, who partially accepted responsibility, accused her father-in-law, Andrea Stival, as an accomplice. Thereupon, he was sentenced to two more years in prison for insulting him. On November 29, 2014, eight-year-old Lorys Stival disappeared from Santa Croce Camerina, a small town in the Sicilian province of Ragusa. The mother, Veronica Panarello, reported the disappearance. After hours of searching, the boy’s body was found in a rural valley near an old mill. Lorys had died from asphyxiation. Veronica Panarello initially claimed she took Lorys to school that day, but security cameras along the route did not confirm her version. Instead, the footage showed his car driving towards the valley where the body was later found. Inconsistencies in Veronica’s statements led investigators to suspect her. It was also determined that the plastic ties used to strangle Lorys were found in the family’s home. On December 8, Veronica Panarello was arrested on charges of murdering her son. Investigators suggested the crime was pre-planned. The woman changed her version several times during interrogations: she initially denied involvement in any incident, then claimed that Lorys had accidentally strangled herself while playing with ties. Finally, she accused her father-in-law, Andrea Stival, claiming that the man had an affair with her and discovered Lorys’ secrets, thus becoming an ‘obstacle’. Andrea Stival has always denied all charges and has been cleared of all suspicion. Veronica Panarello was sentenced to 30 years in prison for first degree; this sentence was upheld both on appeal and by the Supreme Court. Today, he is imprisoned in Turin, where he also begins to study to become a healthcare assistant. She separated from her husband Davide Stival. Since 2020, Veronica Panarello has also lost her parental rights over her younger son, who was entrusted solely to the father.