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| Two American tourists who killed Italian policeman found guilty and sentenced to LIFE in prison | Two American tourists who killed Italian policeman found guilty and sentenced to LIFE in prison |
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| An Italian court has convicted two US tourists for fatally stabbing a Carabinieri officer during a botched drug buy on their Roman holiday. One of them admitted to the act but claimed self-defense. Both received a life sentence. | An Italian court has convicted two US tourists for fatally stabbing a Carabinieri officer during a botched drug buy on their Roman holiday. One of them admitted to the act but claimed self-defense. Both received a life sentence. |
| Finnegan Lee Elder, 21, and Gabriel Christian Natale-Hjorth, 20, were convicted and sentenced on Wednesday for the 2019 murder of Vice Brigadier Mario Cerciello Rega. Judge Marina Finiti read out the verdict in a packed court, siding with the prosecutors who sought life in prison for both men. | Finnegan Lee Elder, 21, and Gabriel Christian Natale-Hjorth, 20, were convicted and sentenced on Wednesday for the 2019 murder of Vice Brigadier Mario Cerciello Rega. Judge Marina Finiti read out the verdict in a packed court, siding with the prosecutors who sought life in prison for both men. |
| The two San Franciscans were in Italy for different reasons – Natale-Hjorth said he was visiting his Italian grandparents, and Elder was traveling through Europe – when they met up in Rome in July 2019. They tried to buy cocaine in the Trastevere nightlife district, but grabbed the dealer’s backpack when he sold them pills instead. | The two San Franciscans were in Italy for different reasons – Natale-Hjorth said he was visiting his Italian grandparents, and Elder was traveling through Europe – when they met up in Rome in July 2019. They tried to buy cocaine in the Trastevere nightlife district, but grabbed the dealer’s backpack when he sold them pills instead. |
| They tried to set up an appointment to exchange the backpack for the money they lost, but the two Carabinieri showed up instead. According to Italian media, the dealer was a police informant, and he reported an attempted extortion. | They tried to set up an appointment to exchange the backpack for the money they lost, but the two Carabinieri showed up instead. According to Italian media, the dealer was a police informant, and he reported an attempted extortion. |
| Testifying before the court in March, Elder said the two men were in plainclothes and had not identified themselves as police. He also claimed the two immediately attacked them. | Testifying before the court in March, Elder said the two men were in plainclothes and had not identified themselves as police. He also claimed the two immediately attacked them. |
| “I panicked and believed he wanted to kill me,” Elder told the court. | “I panicked and believed he wanted to kill me,” Elder told the court. |
| Cerciello Rega, 35, who police say was not armed, was stabbed 11 times with a 7-inch (11 cm) blade by Elder. The officer had recently returned from his honeymoon. | Cerciello Rega, 35, who police say was not armed, was stabbed 11 times with a 7-inch (11 cm) blade by Elder. The officer had recently returned from his honeymoon. |
| Cerciello Rega’s partner, officer Andrea Varriale, testified that the two Carabinieri had shown their badges. The deceased officer’s badge was not found at the crime scene. | Cerciello Rega’s partner, officer Andrea Varriale, testified that the two Carabinieri had shown their badges. The deceased officer’s badge was not found at the crime scene. |
| While Elder admitted to the stabbing and apologized for it at a court hearing in September 2020, Natale-Hjorth initially told police he was not involved and did not know his friend had a knife. However, his fingerprints were found on a ceiling panel of their hotel room, where the murder weapon was found hidden. | While Elder admitted to the stabbing and apologized for it at a court hearing in September 2020, Natale-Hjorth initially told police he was not involved and did not know his friend had a knife. However, his fingerprints were found on a ceiling panel of their hotel room, where the murder weapon was found hidden. |
| Elder and Natale-Hjorth were charged with homicide, attempted extortion, assault, resisting arrest and carrying an “attack-style” knife. Their trial has captivated Italy since it began in February 2020. | Elder and Natale-Hjorth were charged with homicide, attempted extortion, assault, resisting arrest and carrying an “attack-style” knife. Their trial has captivated Italy since it began in February 2020. |
| This is not the first time a young American has faced Italian justice. Amanda Knox, an exchange student from Washington state, was convicted in 2009 to 25 years in prison for allegedly killing her flatmate Meredith Kercher. | This is not the first time a young American has faced Italian justice. Amanda Knox, an exchange student from Washington state, was convicted in 2009 to 25 years in prison for allegedly killing her flatmate Meredith Kercher. |
| Unlike Elder and Natale-Hjorth, however, Knox maintained her innocence. She and her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were acquitted in a 2011 retrial, and were cleared of all charges by the 2015 verdict of the Italian supreme court. | |
| A man whose DNA and bloodstained fingerprints were found on Kercher’s possessions was eventually convicted of Kercher’s rape and murder. Rudy Guede, an immigrant from the Ivory Coast, received a 16-year sentence in 2008, but was granted parole in 2017 to attend school – and released in December 2020 to work off the rest of his sentence through community service. | |
| Like this story? Share it with a friend! | Like this story? Share it with a friend! |