"Chico Forti did not kill my brother; he is innocent. And I will not leave Italy until he is free." This stunning declaration was made to the newspaper Libero by Bradley Pike, brother of Dale Pike, the 43-year-old found dead on a Miami beach in 1998, a murder for which the Italian entrepreneur was sentenced to life imprisonment in the US before his recent transfer back to Italy. Bradley Pike, who traveled from Australia, has thrown his full weight behind Forti’s cause, fiercely criticizing a Venice surveillance court's decision to deny Forti parole on the grounds that he has shown no remorse or concern for the victim's family.
Pike dismissed the Italian magistrates' reasoning as "utterly false" and detailed his emotional meetings with Forti at a Verona prison last May under a restorative justice program. The two lengthy sessions solidified Pike’s conviction that Forti played no part in the crime, an opinion he says is backed by his thorough review of the 3,500-page trial dossier, which he describes as riddled with inconsistencies and devoid of any logical financial motive.
According to Pike, his brother’s murder was subject to a cover-up by American authorities looking to protect high-profile figures, pointing instead to a German national, Thomas Knott, as the true architect of the crime. Pike announced he intends to remain in Italy for the coming months to seek a direct audience with judicial authorities and attend future hearings regarding Forti’s release.