ROME -- The second inquiry into the death of the 32-year-old Roman surveyor, Stefano Cucchi, whilst he was in police custody back in October 2009, has been closed and three Carabinieri (Italian policemen) have been accused of homicide and abuse of authority, police sources say Tuesday.

 Sister of the victim, Ilaria Cucchi, who has consistently campaigned for justice for her brother, said of the recent news, “I want to say that everyone must always resist, resist, resist and have faith in the justice system.”

 The crime is said to have been committed for “trivial reasons, due to the resistance of Cucchi at the photo-signalling,” whilst under police custody for having been found in possession of drugs.

 The three policeman on duty at the time, now accused of Cucchi’s murder, are Alessio Di Bernardo, Raffaele D’Alessandro and Francesco Tedesco.

 The death was caused by excessive ‘slapping, punching and kicking,” said prosecutor Giuseppe Pignatone, resulting in “a disastrous fall with impact to the ground in the sacral region.”

 Stefano Cucchi did suffer from epilepsy, initially believed to be the reason behind his premature death. However, reports now show that evidence does not suggest an epileptic fit to be the cause of death.

 Ilaria Cucchi said of the eventual justice for her brother, “At last we are speaking of the truth – murder.”

 “Remember the photo of me weeping on the day of the judgement of the first inquiry? That throws back to seven very hard years of pain, of sacrifice, of so many bitter tears. But it was worth it to keep believing.”

 sw