The legal case surrounding the murder of Carabinieri Deputy Brigadier Mario Cerciello Rega, who was stabbed to death in July 2019 in Rome's Prati district, has yet to reach a definitive conclusion.
The Court of Cassation has ordered a new appeal trial, the third, but only for the recalculation of the sentence given to Gabriel Natale Hjorth, the American citizen sentenced to 11 years and 4 months for anomalous complicity in murder.
The decision of the judges of the fifth criminal section of the Court of Cassation, based in Piazza Cavour, confirms Hjorth's criminal responsibility but annuls the previous sentence "limited to the sanctioning treatment".
The part of the sentence regarding the defendant's liability remains definitive. The Court of Cassation accepted the appeal of the civil parties, annulling the sentence also for the civil effects against both defendants, while declaring the appeal of the Attorney General inadmissible.
The latter, during his closing speech, had asked for a new trial at the Court of Appeal to revise the sentence and recognize the aggravating circumstances that had fallen in the two previous levels of judgment. Meanwhile, Gabriel Natale Hjorth, currently under house arrest at his grandmother's house in Fregene, on the northern coast of Rome, will have to face a new trial to have his sentence redefined.
The other defendant, Finnegan Lee Elder, believed to be the material perpetrator of the murder, is instead detained in the Opera prison, where he is serving a definitive sentence of 15 years and 2 months for voluntary homicide.
Satisfied with the outcome of the trial, Hjorth's defense lawyers, Francesco Petrelli and Fabio Alonzi, emphasized that the Court of Cassation accepted their request, maintaining that there was not even any complicity in the murder due to the "non-existence of Natale Hjorth's complicity in the homicidal conduct".
The new trial, which will take place before the Court of Assizes of Appeal of Rome, will focus exclusively on the recalculation of the sentence, leaving the conviction unchanged with regard to criminal liability. In the meantime, the civil parties have obtained a partial success, with the annulment of the sentence for the civil aspects related to compensation.
The story, which continues to hold public attention, seems destined to continue, while the Cerciello family awaits justice for the loss of their relative, killed while on duty during a police operation.
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Comments (2)
It's a complicated and sad situation, justice seems to never arrive. The Cerciello family deserves answers and the truth about what happened, I hope the trial can clarify things for everyone.
Yes, I agree with you. Every time there are new developments, I wonder if there will ever be an ending to this dramatic story. The safety of citizens should be a priority for the competent authorities.