Parents of son sentenced to life in prison for killing an Italian police officer speak out

The parents of one of two Americans who were convicted and sentenced to life in prison after an Italian police officer was fatally stabbed have spoken out for the first time since their son’s verdict.

Ethan and Leah Elder, the parents of Finnegan Elder, described their son’s mental state as “perilous” after he was sentenced to life in prison last week.

“We just want Finn to be able to survive this,” Leah Elder told ABC News’ Good Morning America on Monday. “He has a noted history of attempted suicide, and we’re really worried and really concerned. He was utterly devastated by the verdict, just devastated. It was completely unexpected for him.”

Mrs Elder testified in court last December about her son’s mental fitness, which included details on his past suicide attempts while living in San Francisco.

“He struggles with anxiety and depression, and his current situation is really perilous,” she added.

Watch: Parents of American found guilty of murder in Italy speak out

Finnegan Elder, 21, and Gabriel Christina Natale-Hjorth, 20, were found guilty last week of murder, assault, killing a public official, and extortion for stealing a backpack from a drug pusher and demanding money or drugs in exchange.

Separately, Elder was found guilty of carrying a military-grade knife, which was a prohibited weapon in Italy.

The pair received Italy’s harshest sentence, life in prison, for their crimes.

In July 2019, Elder, then 19, and Natale-Hjorth, then 18, of California attacked two members of Italy’s storied Carabinieri paramilitary police force on a street corner in Rome, Italy, in the early morning hours.

Police said the teenagers, who were former classmates from the San Francisco area, tried to buy cocaine but were sold a fake substance. In response to being sold the fake substance, the teenagers allegedly robbed a drug dealer of a backpack and demanded he pay 100 euros and the promised cocaine for them to return it.

They scheduled to meet the drug dealer on a street corner but, unbeknownst to the teenagers, the person also called local authorities about the situation.

Elder and Natale-Hojorth encountered two plainclothes police officers at 3am on 26 July, 2019.

The two Carabinieri officers, Mario Cerciello Rega and Andrea Varriale, approached the teenagers without any service weapons or handcuffs. It was not known if they had their badges on them.

Mr Varriale said they identified themselves as police officers in Italian, but the teenagers thought the two men were drug dealers, according to testimony from Elder.

Mr Cerciello Rega, 35, entered into a physical altercation with Elder, who then stabbed the police officer 11 times with a knife he purchased while in Europe. Elder has not denied the incident but claimed he was acting in self-defence because he feared he was being strangled.

The other police officer fought Natale-Hjorth and was punched several times by the teenager.

“In the blink of an eye, they turned around and rushed us without saying a single word,” Elder said in his testimony. “I’m truly sorry and deeply saddened for the loss of Mr Cerciello.”

Elder’s parents described him as “incredibly kind” and “painfully honest” when speaking on Good Morning America.

“He does not see a reason to lie,” Mrs Elder said. “From the moment Finn was detained, he has not changed his version of that night one iota.”

The parents thought their son’s sentencing was too harsh given Elder’s mental state, his age, and the crime he committed. Next steps for the family would be to appeal the verdict.

“I understand that a man’s life was lost that night, I understand that Finnegan should serve some time,” Mrs Elder said. “I would like Finnegan to have some sort of sentence that’s proportionate and something that helps at least acknowledge his mental health issues.”

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