The Court of Assizes of Appeal of Rome has granted house arrest to Gabriele Natale Hjorth, at the request of his lawyers, after his sentence was reduced to 3 years and 11 months on July 4 for the murder of Vice Brigadier Mario Cerciello Rega.
The judges ordered that the detention take place at the home of Hjorth's grandmother in Fregene, a town on the Roman coast.
Last Wednesday, the defense of the young American of Italian origins asked for a modification of the conditions of house arrest. Natale Hjorth has been detained in the Velletri prison since July 26, 2019, the day after the killing of Cerciello Rega.
His peer and fellow countryman, Finnegan Lee Elder, was also convicted, receiving a sentence of 15 years and two months. The defense requested that Hjorth be placed under house arrest at his paternal grandmother's house in Ladispoli.
“The acceptance of the request for house arrest for Gabriele Natale Hjorth by the Second Assize Court of Rome has generated great dismay.
Rosamaria, the wife of Mario Cerciello Rega, is deeply disturbed by the news. Although she does not wish to comment, her deep sense of mistrust is evident,” Lawyer Massimo Ferrandino, legal representative of Rosamaria Esilio, widow of the carabiniere Mario Cerciello Rega, told the press agencies.
The widow's lawyer: "Sent to the seaside in Fregene"
“We still do not know the reasons that led the court to significantly reduce the sentences for the two Americans, and one of them has already been sent to house arrest in the splendid setting of Fregene.
Mario Cerciello Rega, a brave servant of the State, died under eleven stab wounds, but it seems that it is not understood that the wounds did not stop on July 26, five years ago. One has the impression that there is 'justice in reverse',” concludes the criminal lawyer.
Article published on 15 July 2024 - 17:06
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