He admitted he had stolen the Fiat 126 used for the car bomb that killed Borsellino in the Via D'Amelio bombing in Palermo on 19 July 1992. His admission contradicted the declarations of a thug with loose Mafia associations who had confessed to stealing the car. When confronted with Spatuzza's statement, the thug admitted that he had repeated what some investigating officers had forced him to tell the magistrates. Spatuzza's detailed testimony stood up against examination. Spatuzza's declaration led to the re-opening of the trial on Borsellino's murder, which was concluded in 2003.