This archive report was first published on 27 July 2019.
On July 27, 2019, two American teenagers, Finnegan Lee Elder and Gabriel Christian Natale Hjorth, were arrested and charged with murder and attempted extortion in the fatal stabbing of a military police officer in Rome.
The officer, Deputy Brig. Mario Cerciello Rega, had recently returned to work after his honeymoon and was stabbed eight times by Mr. Elder during a fight that ensued when the officer tried to recover a stolen backpack.
According to the carabinieri press office, the two Americans had admitted to the crime, and a knife believed to be the weapon used to kill Brigadier Cerciello Rega was found hidden behind a panel in the hotel room ceiling.
The incident began when the two Americans approached an Italian man asking where they could buy drugs, and he indicated a seller nearby. They bought drugs, but claimed they were not real, and sought to get their money back.
When they couldn't find the seller, they stole the Italian man's backpack, which contained his cellphone. They then demanded 100 euros and a gram of cocaine in exchange for the phone's return.
The victim of the theft called the carabinieri, and two plainclothes officers went to the meeting in his place. A fight ensued, and Mr. Elder stabbed Brigadier Cerciello Rega eight times.
The two suspects are being held in the Regina Coeli prison, and their lawyers have declined to comment on their purported confession.
