A former chef has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after Monaco’s Criminal Court found him guilty of two counts of attempted murder stemming from a violent attack at a restaurant in Monaco-Ville in August 2023.
According to original reporting by Monaco-Matin, 64-year-old Rocco Emilio Tramontana was convicted on Friday, 3 July, after a four-day trial. Judges, however, acquitted him of a separate charge alleging he had made death threats against a former colleague in the days before the attack.
The case centred on an incident at the restaurant L’Estragon on 8 August 2023, during which Tramontana stabbed a 56-year-old kitchen porter in the abdomen before allegedly turning his attention to another employee, a 61-year-old woman with whom he had previously been in a brief relationship. Prosecutors argued that only her escape, together with the intervention of another person, prevented a second potentially fatal attack.
Throughout the proceedings, Tramontana denied intending to kill either victim, maintaining that he had wanted only to injure the man he stabbed. That explanation was rejected by the court, which ultimately ruled that the evidence supported convictions for attempted murder.
During closing submissions, the prosecution argued that the seriousness of the offences and the defendant’s conduct throughout the trial justified a lengthy custodial sentence. Prosecutors also cited what they described as his aggressive courtroom behaviour and requested a 15-year prison term, together with restrictions preventing any contact with the victims.
The defence urged the court to show compassion, warning against what it described as the defendant’s “social death” if such a lengthy sentence were imposed. Counsel appealed to the judges and jurors to balance justice with humanity, while also challenging the credibility of the allegation that Tramontana had threatened to kill his former partner days before the stabbing.
After around two hours of deliberation, the court handed down a 15-year prison sentence. In addition to the custodial term, Tramontana was banned from entering Monaco for ten years following his release.
Although convicted of the attempted murders, he was cleared of the charge relating to alleged death threats. His lawyer has indicated that the defence is considering seeking a review of the judgment.
The victims endured an emotional trial, with Monaco-Matin reporting that several hearings were marked by tears and visible distress as they relived the events surrounding the attack.
