From the two life sentences handed down in the first instance to a second appeal sentence that sets the sentences at 15 years and two months and 11 years and four months in prison.
This is the legal path of the two American students, Finnegan Lee Elder and Gabriel Natale Hjorth, accused of the death of Mario Cerciello Rega, killed with 11 stab wounds on the night between 25 and 26 July 2019 in Rome.
The judges of the Court of Assizes of Appeal, after the Supreme Court had ordered a new trial at second instance, further reduced the sentences: 24 years for Elder and 22 for Hjorth.
The aggravating circumstances were removed, and the expedited trial procedure was permitted, resulting in a significant reduction in prison terms. Specifically, Elder was acquitted of resisting arrest because the act did not constitute a crime.
Also present in the courtroom when the sentence was read was Rosa Maria, Cerciello's wife, who appeared shaken and left Piazzale Clodio without making any statements. "Regarding the seriousness of the fact", commented his lawyer, Professor Franco Coppi, "It's undoubtedly a generous sentence, but we weren't interested in the amount of the sentence. We were interested in the recognition of both parties' responsibility."
For their part, the defendants' lawyers did not hide their satisfaction with the verdict. "Elder, after the sentence, told me that he was terribly stressed, but he realizes that he deserved a punishment and that the sentence is fairer than the previous ones", revealed the lawyer Renato Borzone, adding that the sentence opens "a whole different scenario, as it should be.
A few hours after speaking with Finnegan, we explained that he had never realized he was facing law enforcement officers. It took five years, but finally we have a court that can sleep soundly because it made the right decision. the criminal lawyer concluded.
Hjorth's defender, lawyer Francesco Petrelli, speaks openly about "A very significant reduction in terms of the sentence, which has been halved. We've gone from 22 years to 11 years, and that's a great satisfaction for us."
The tragic end of Cerciello It began with the two Americans attempting to buy cocaine in Trastevere. Then came the theft of the backpack belonging to the pushers' "facilitator," Sergio Brugiatelli. Brugiatelli, a typical "comeback horse," alerted the Carabinieri after receiving a phone call from the two Americans demanding a ransom.
Cerciello Rega and his patrol colleague, Andrea Varriale, after a negotiation between Brugiatelli and the two boys, went in plain clothes to the meeting point in via Pietro Cossa.
In a matter of moments, a quiet Roman summer evening turned tragic. The two Americans attacked Cerciello and his colleague. Elder, armed with a knife, stabbed the deputy sergeant eleven times, causing him to die of hemorrhagic shock.
The Legal Journey of Finnegan Lee Elder and Gabriel Natale Hjort
First degreeBoth sentenced to life imprisonment.
Appeal: Sentences reduced to 24 years for Elder and 22 for Hjorth.
Supreme Court: It overturns the appeal ruling and orders a new trial.
Second appeal:Elder sentenced to 15 years and 2 months in prison.
Hjorth sentenced to 11 years and 4 months in prison.
Elder's crime was downgraded from murder to manslaughter.
Both acquitted for resisting a public official.
The case has received widespread media coverage in Italy and the United States. The legal proceedings are ongoing, pending a possible appeal to the Supreme Court by the victim's family.
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