In 1998, Patrizia Reggiani was sentenced to 29 years in prison for arranging the killing.

[29] She then
asked that her conviction be overturned, claiming her brain tumor had affected her personality. In
2000, an appeals court in Milan upheld the conviction but reduced the sentence to 26 years.[30] In
2000, Patrizia tried to commit suicide by hanging herself with a bed sheet, but was found by prison
guards.[31] In 2005, despite rules against prison pets, Patrizia's legal team convinced the prison to
allow her pet ferret to live with her.[32] In October 2011, she became eligible for parole under a work-
release program, but refused saying, "I've never worked in my life and I'm certainly not going to start
now".[33] With credit for good behavior, she was released in October 2016 after serving eighteen
years.[20]