Prosecutor Maria Sabina Calabretta told the court in Rome that given the circumstances of the case, the two should receive the maximum sentence permitted under Italian law."I ask for the full responsibility of both for what concerns all the crimes listed, taken aggravating circumstances in consideration, and evidently considered more serious the murder crime," she said.
The lawyer representing Rosa Maria Rega, the officer's widow, called the prosecutor's request"just." The 35-year old officer was stabbed eight times at 2 a.m. on July 26, 2019, in the Prati neighborhood of Rome, near the hotel where the two men were staying, police said in a statement at the time. He was declared dead later that night.
Police allege Elder and Natale-Hjorth, who were 19 and 18 at the time of the murder, stabbed Rega as he attempted to recover a stolen backpack from them.He and Natale-Hjorth were allegedly sold crushed aspirin for $80, instead of a gram of cocaine, in the Trastevere district of Rome.
After police were contacted by the owner of the stolen bag, officers met with Elder and Natale-Hjorth, police said. The officers were unarmed and were not wearing uniforms. Both Elder and Natale-Hjorth are accused of assaulting the police officers, who reportedly identified themselves as law enforcement officers, during the meeting. The two Americans previously said the officers attacked them first.
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