Upon his release, he worked as a gardener, porter and lay brother in a convent of Franciscan Capuchin friars in the Marche until his death.
His father, Giovanni, is often portrayed as an alcoholic although Maria's mother said that he rarely drank to the point of drunkenness.
In 1902, the twenty-year-old Serenelli, described by all as a very shy and quiet young man, began to harass Goretti, who was then eleven.
In testimony given by him[2] about his thoughts before the brutal incident, he related: "After the second attempt, in my mind was formed more than ever the intention to succeed in the vent of my passion and I conceived the idea to kill her if she continued to resist my cravings".
On the night of Christmas 1934, Serenelli begged forgiveness on his knees from Assunta Goretti, Maria's mother.
[6][7][8] Serenelli died on 6 May 1970 at the age of 87 in a convent at Macerata from complications relating to a fracture of his femur after a fall.
My behavior was influenced by print, mass media and bad examples which are followed by the majority of young people without even thinking.
There were a lot of generous and devoted people who surrounded me, but I paid no attention to them because a violent force blinded me and pushed me toward a wrong way of life.
Little Maria was really my light, my protectress; with her help, I behaved well during the 27 years of prison and tried to live honestly when I was again accepted among the members of society.
I have been living with their community for 24 years, and now I am serenely waiting to witness the vision of God, to hug my loved ones again, and to be next to my Guardian Angel and her dear mother, Assunta.
I hope this letter that I have written can teach others the happy lesson of avoiding evil and of always following the right path, like little children.