Enrico Carella, the Italian electrician from Venice, who in 1996 burnt down La Fenice
to the ground, has been released from prison after serving 16 months. He was released earlier this week, and although he is out of jail, he's limited to remaining in one town for work (Comune di Castello di Godego), and is on house arrest at night.
The fire that ripped through Venice's Teatro la Fenice was ignited on January 29, 1996 at 9pm, and by midnight, the theater was destroyed. Enrico Carella and his cousin, Massimiliano Marchetti, had been hired as subcontractors during the renovation of the opera house. They set the fire to cover-up the fact that they were severely behind with their work, and therefore faced hefty fines which would have bankrupt them (20 million lire).
In 2001, Carella was sentenced seven years in prison, while his cousin Marchetti was given six. Marchetti began serving in July 2003, but Carella fled the country. Interpol, with cooperation from the Venice police, finally caught him at the Mexico-Belize border four years later, in February 2007.
Sixteen months? Really? OC is pretty liberal, but dang. Maybe in Italian jail they have to wear polyester bell-bottoms and Birkenstocks, and the only food they're given is kimchi and everyone just farts on each other and they have to watch Battlefield Earth and Glitter everyday and listen to Celine Dion ad nausea. But srsly: 16 months?