ROME, Italy (KGO) — An Italian court has granted house arrest to 23-year-old Gabriel Natale-Hjorth, who was convicted in the killing of an Italian police officer. The court reduced his original charges to negligence, following the death of the officer in Rome in July 2019. Natale-Hjorth’s attorneys had argued that he should be allowed to serve the remainder of his 11-year sentence at his grandmother’s home near Rome, a request that the court granted on Monday.
Natale-Hjorth and his friend, 24-year-old Finnegan Elder of San Francisco, were on vacation in Italy when they were confronted by plain-clothes police officers after a failed drug deal. While Natale-Hjorth managed to escape one officer, Elder was pinned to the ground by another. Elder then pulled out a knife, stabbing the officer until he managed to break free.
Both men, originally from the Bay Area, were initially sentenced to life in prison. However, Elder’s sentence was reduced earlier this month to 15 years after the court acknowledged the failure of the officers to properly identify themselves. Elder had maintained that he believed the officers were thugs working with the drug dealer.
In a statement to ABC7 News, Natale-Hjorth’s family expressed their joy, saying, “We are delighted with the outcome and look forward to welcoming Gabriel back to his family home soon.” Elder’s family also shared their relief, saying they were “so relieved for this chapter for Gabe and his family to be over and a new phase to begin.”
