Italy- Finnegan Elder, 19 & Gabriel Hjorth, 18, US students, police murder, 26 Jul 2019 *guilty* *new trial 2023*

[Gardenista]

I read in some article it was just for a couple of minutes, and it was to avoid him seeing some kind of documents or similar, regarding the case. Boy, 18, pictured blindfolded and cuffed after 'murdering cop' while on holiday | Metro News

Major eye roll. What a load of BS

 

[JerseyGirl]

Italian police say Elder and Natale-Hjorth had purchased tickets to return to the United States and were on their way to leave the country when they were arrested.

Finnegan Elder: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com

Gabriel Natale-Hjorth: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com

 

[FrostOwl]

This was not the first time Finnegan Elder injured another person, in 2016 he had punched another student and caused him severe brain damage. His uncle excuses it with that it was "a mutual pre-agreed upon fight, which many football team members knew about and egged on." Nothing to worry the family, and as FE is such a good boy, there's no need to do anything. Suspect in Rome police killing had punched a fellow student in San Francisco, causing severe brain injury, sources say

 

[Elliot_Alderson]

This was not the first time Finnegan Elder injured another person, in 2016 he had punched another student and caused him severe brain damage. His uncle excuses it with that it was "a mutual pre-agreed upon fight, which many football team members knew about and egged on." Nothing to worry the family, and as FE is such a good boy, there's no need to do anything. Suspect in Rome police killing had punched a fellow student in San Francisco, causing severe brain injury, sources say

RBBM -- That seriously sounds like when I was in 6th grade. "Meet me down under the big elk tree at 3:15 pm!!"

 

[FrostOwl]

RBBM -- That seriously sounds like when I was in 6th grade. "Meet me down under the big elk tree at 3:15 pm!!"

And did your opponents end up in hospital with "life-threatening injuries" and had to go through a long recovery? EF:s case ended up in juvenile court as a felony offence.

 

[Elliot_Alderson]

And did your opponents end up in hospital with "life-threatening injuries" and had to go through a long recovery?

I don't know, I never was the one scheduling such meet ups. I just was saying that I observed it. Come to think of it though.... one time these two kids did meet up to fight after school. One of them brought one of those big Yankee candles and hit the other kid in the head and caused life threatening injuries/long recovery.

 

[otto]

Italian newspapers are saying that the prosecutor will seek Italy's most secure/least comfortable prison. They're calling it a "hard labor" prison. Not like what Amanda endured at all (if that's what happens).

I'm sure the Italian courts are going to throw the book at them. The officer was unarmed and they were breaking the law, so they stabbed the officer 11 times. No one wants people like that on the streets. Rehabilitation is probably unlikely, so no reason to go out of their way to accommodate them.

 

[Only4Justice]

I'm sure the Italian courts are going to throw the book at them. The officer was unarmed and they were breaking the law, so they stabbed the officer 11 times. No one wants people like that on the streets. Rehabilitation is probably unlikely, so no reason to go out of their way to accommodate them.

Glad you’re here @otto. Always appreciate your posts.

 

[Only4Justice]

These kids are worst of American society. Entitled. IMO. Hope I can say this.

 

[otto]

Glad you’re here @otto. Always appreciate your posts.

Good to see you here too!
I followed the Meredith Kercher trial, with all its twists and turns, defense and prosecutor appeals, and how it was portrayed in the media. I'm curious how this will play out.

Based on the Kercher trials, the one who pled guilty got off easy, those who went to trial eventually were found not guilty, but the price they paid was very high.

 

[otto]

How the families are dealing with the arrests : both fathers are in Italy, both claim their sons are innocent, the suspects were not traveling together but met up for a day,

"The fathers of two American teenagers detained in Rome have visited their sons for the first time since the teens were accused of killing an Italian police officer.

Natale-Hjorth’s father said he visited his son at Rome’s Regina Coeli prison on Wednesday morning and described the meeting as “very emotional but also very hard for both of us,” according to a statement issued through a lawyer for the family. ... “We are deeply upset by his predicament, while at the same time fully convinced of his innocence.”
...

They are accused of robbing a man who had directed them to the drug dealer in the first place, stealing his backpack and demanding he pay them 100 euros and a gram of cocaine to get it back. The man agreed but, unbeknownst to Elder and Natale-Hjorth, he also contacted authorities, according to the police spokesman. ... A scuffle ensued and Elder allegedly stabbed Cerciello Rega 11 times, while Natale-Hjorth allegedly punched Cerciello Rega’s partner repeatedly ... Elder allegedly used a 7-inch fix-blade combat knife during the four-minute encounter.
...

Investigators also claim that they discovered a knife believed to be the murder weapon and blood-soaked clothes hidden in the ceiling of the teens’ hotel room, police said.
...

Natale-Hjorth’s lawyer, Fabio Alonzi, told ABC News that the teen was on a family vacation in Italy with his father and grandparents at the time of the incident. “He got in touch with Elder through social media,” Alonzi said, “and they agreed to spend one day together in Rome, that ended the way we all know. But he had no idea that his friend had a knife with him.”

... [Elder] lawyer added. “I don’t know what happened. I am convinced at this point that there is a pretty good chance that the police don’t know what happened.”​

Families of American teens detained in Rome in connection to cop's murder speak out

 

[otto]

It looks like the suspects are going to choose trial rather than plead guilty even though there is an eyewitness to the murder.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

It looks like the suspects are going to choose trial rather than plead guilty even though there is an eyewitness to the murder.

And blood evidence on at least one suspects clothing, and the knife hidden in their room.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Can I just check it is Elder who is accused of bringing the knife from the US, having the knife on his person that night, and stabbing the policeman?

N-H claims to have not known about the knife but is accused of punching another officer. Is that all right from what we know so far?

 

[Isabelle98]

This was not the first time Finnegan Elder injured another person, in 2016 he had punched another student and caused him severe brain damage. His uncle excuses it with that it was "a mutual pre-agreed upon fight, which many football team members knew about and egged on." Nothing to worry the family, and as FE is such a good boy, there's no need to do anything. Suspect in Rome police killing had punched a fellow student in San Francisco, causing severe brain injury, sources say

In other words he's a "natural born criminal" (or something like that....)

 

[otto]

And blood evidence on at least one suspects clothing, and the knife hidden in their room.

I hope it has been clearly explained to the suspects and their families that, given their age and substantial evidence, a guilt plea in exchange for reduced sentence (if that applies to carabinieri murders) is their best option. If they fight this, I think the charges and sentencing will be and get worse.

 

[otto]

In other words he's a "natural born criminal" (or something like that....)

Maybe it's becoming more common for 18 - 19 year old male dyads to commit a random murder, or to murder to achieve an end.

 

[otto]

Can I just check it is Elder who is accused of bringing the knife from the US, having the knife on his person that night, and stabbing the policeman?

N-H claims to have not known about the knife but is accused of punching another officer. Is that all right from what we know so far?

Yes. The story is that Gabriel (an aspiring architect) was with his father and grandfather in Italy when Elder contacted him to spend a day together. Clearly this included an overnight since they ran to their hotel room a block from the murder.

One Carabinieri, the one who just got back from honeymoon, forgot his gun. The other didn't have a chance to get his out. He stayed with his partner rather than pursue the suspects.

Elder packed a knife and there are photos on IG (per news article). The knife and bloody clothing were tucked into the ceiling of their hotel room.

Elder stabbed the officer 11 times, Gabriel punched his partner in the head before the officer could pull out his gun. The suspects ran off leaving the officers in the street. They thought they were meeting drug dealers. It looks like the went to the meeting intent on murdering the drug dealers. They did not expect them to be Carabinieri.

 

[kaen]

The fact that the other teen had family near Rome (and dual citizenship and pretty good Italian) is also interesting and I bet Elder's family thought it was a great idea to send their alcohol-loving (and certainly drug-interested) teens from suburban Marin County to...Rome...without adult supervision. My first thought was that this was the Marin equivalent of sending high schoolers to Mexico (Spring Break or otherwise). If they're drinking at home (illegally) and not handling it well (drunk in public), sending them to a foreign country where they can drink legally is not a great decision.

But I know, I'm a wet blanket and it's important that kids have fun. Parents want the kids to have fun (but not in their house, right?)

Snipped by me and bolded by me for focus. Both of these men are adults and can travel anywhere they choose. I am not sure who paid for the trip or why. But to assume that this was a ploy by the family to give them good fun seems wrong to me.

I don't think it is fair to paint their families with any kind of brush as they are probably devastated and destroyed that their child(ren) could do something so cruel, callous and permanent. If they are families with means, it doesn't not automatically mean that they are enablers of their children whether they are ne'er do wells or upstanders with a drug/alcohol problem.

 

[otto]

Italian police say Elder and Natale-Hjorth had purchased tickets to return to the United States and were on their way to leave the country when they were arrested.

Finnegan Elder: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com

Gabriel Natale-Hjorth: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com

If Gabriel Natale-Hjorth (architecture student) and Finnegan Elder were leaving town after murdering and beating up police officers, I wonder what Gabriel's father and grandfather thought about that. First he's traveling with them, then he's meeting a friend for a day, then he's trying to leave the country?

Elder's lawyer has said that he thinks police don't know what happened - not much of a legal argument. Gabriel claims he didn't know Elder had a knife.

What's their story? They decided to beat up who they thought were drug dealers, Gabriel knew nothing about the knife, but he was in on beating - never intending to beat a police officer.

Pretty sure I read that police identified themselves. Did anyone else read that? Regarding the blind fold, it must have been an old Carabinieri who didn't realize the law had changed.