Two California men were sentenced to life in an Italian prison Wednesday night for reportedly stabbing a police officer 11 times, killing him, following a …
Two California men were sentenced to life in an Italian prison Wednesday night for reportedly stabbing a police officer 11 times, killing him, following a botched drug deal while vacationing in Rome. Finnegan Elder,21, and Gabriel Natale-Hjorth,20, were charged in the death of Carabiniere Vice Brigadier Mario Cerciello Rega,35, among other crimes, including extortion for stealing a backpack from a go-between in which they demanded their money back in exchange for the bag. In a separate charge, jurors also found Elder guilty of carrying a knife, which was used to fatally stab Rega. The jury – six members guided by two judges – deliberated for more than 10 hours after the trial wrapped up Wednesday. The killing occurred in the early morning hours of July 26,2019, hours after the pair had unsuccessfully tried to buy cocaine via a go-between who connected them with a drug dealer near a nightlife district in Rome. They paid nearly $100 for drugs, but were duped, authorities said. Instead of cocaine, they instead received a crushed medicine tablet. Craig Peters, attorney for the Elder family, told Fox News the pair snatched the go-between’s backpack as reprisal. In the bag was a cell phone they used to communicate with the go-between to arrange to meet outside their hotel to exchange the backpack for the money they lost.
