Italian court reduces sentences of Americans accused of killing police officer

An Italian appeals court on Wednesday upheld the convictions but reduced the prison terms of two American visitors initially sentenced to life in prison for the 2019 killing of a police officer, a case that shocked Italy.

The original convictions were overturned by Italy's top court and a retrial was ordered, leading to Wednesday's results. Finnegan Lee Elder was sentenced to a new 15 years and two months in prison, while Gabriele Natale-Hjorth was sentenced to 11 years and four months in prison and fined 800 euros.

The two men were found guilty of the murder of Carabinieri Vice-Brigadier Mario Cerciello Rega in July 2019.

“I don't think we can ask for a reasonable, better decision today,” said Ethan Elder, Finnegan Elder's father.

Elder and Natale-Hjorth were teenagers vacationing in San Francisco at the time of Cerciello Rega's death. The fatal confrontation occurred when they agreed to meet a small-time drug dealer, who turned out to be a police informant, to recoup money lost in a botched drug deal. Instead, they encountered two police officers.

The police officer, a newlywed 35-year-old, was stabbed 11 times in a hotel room, sparking a media outcry. Cerciello Rega was hailed as a national hero.

Elder admitted to killing the police officer, but said he acted in self-defense because he believed Cerciello Rega was a criminal trying to attack the youths. During the latest trial, the defense reiterated its previous claim that the defendants were unaware they were being investigated by police authorities at the time.

Cerciello Rega's widow, Rosa Maria Esilio, was devastated by the verdict, according to her lawyer Massimo Ferrandino.

“For five years, she has been carrying immense pain. She was the one who closed her husband's eyes in the morgue. You can imagine her pain today too,” he said.

Defense lawyers welcomed the new ruling.

“This sentence is fairer than the previous ones,” said Renato Borzone, Elder's lawyer. “It took five years, but we finally have a court that can sleep soundly because it made the right decision in good conscience.”

Prosecutors say Elder attacked Cerciello Rega with a knife he had taken with him on his trip to Europe, and Natale-Hjorth helped him hide the knife in their hotel room. Under Italian law, an accomplice to a murder can be charged with murder even if he or she did not commit the crime.

Some information in this report was provided by The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.