In 2019, two California college students, Finnegan Elder and Gabriel Natale, were arrested in Rome, Italy, for the fatal stabbing of Italian Carabinieri Deputy Brigadier Mario Cerciello Rega. After a trial that drew international attention, the defendants were found guilty of all charges related to the stabbing and sentenced to Italy’s harshest sentence, life imprisonment.
The saga began after the police, including Mario Rega, broke up an extortion deal masterminded by Elder and Gabriel. The convicts alleged that the police officers, who wore civilian clothes and did not have their service pistols, did not identify themselves. Elder stated that he stabbed Mario in self-defense, thinking that his life was in danger.
Elder’s parents traveled to Rome after an emotional Finnegan called them after the stabbing.
On July 26, 2019, Leah and Ethan Elder received a FaceTime call from their son Finnegan and two Italian police investigators. Finnegan was standing in the background, crying. Ethan and Leah said to BC that the call left them in shock:
“He said, ‘Mom, it’s really, really bad.’ He said: ‘They’re saying I killed a policeman and then the phone went dead.’ Yes it was, it was really horrible. I don’t think Ethan and I could stand on our feet for long. After that, we both sat here on the floor in this room and we cried and wept and wept.”
Finnegan’s parents couldn’t understand how their son had gotten into such a mess. They had considered themselves good parents who had raised a son of integrity. “We go for walks as a family, we have family dinners on Sundays,” Leah said.
According to the investigative report, Finnegan attempted to buy cocaine, but after the transaction was interrupted by Italian police, he fled with the dealer’s bag. Finnegan and Gabriel stated that they would only return the bag for money. The owner of the backpack organized a meeting and involved the police, including Brigadier Mario Rega. In the ensuing confrontation, Finnegan reportedly stabbed Rega eleven times.
Finnegan’s defense was self-defense, a claim his parents agree with. “He was strangling and holding him down,” Ethan said. “Finnegan thought he was in mortal danger.” Leah and Ethan flew to Rome after Officer Rega’s funeral and had nothing but condolences for his wife. Ethan told him to BC:
“I am so heartbroken. I am so heartbroken that her husband was here and now he is no longer on this earth. And I feel an immense amount of pain when I think of her.”
Elder’s parents expressed their undying support for Finnegan after his sentencing.
Gregorio Borgia/AP
“I could feel how much physical contact he needed, so I touched him the whole time and held his hand,” Leah said. to BC since the first time he saw Finnegan in prison.
Leah couldn’t hide her disbelief as the jury read out her son’s conviction and life sentence. As the police led Finnegan out of the courtroom, Ethan yelled, “Finnegan, I love you,” in a show of support.
The case has financially drained Leah and Ethan, but Finnegan and Gabriel are expected to appeal the decision. The jury has 90 days to publish a detailed reasoning for its decisions. Said report shall constitute the basis of any appeal filed by the parties.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn