American Apologizes in Italy Court for Taking Officer’s Life

Gabriel Natale-Hjorth (R) and Finnegan Lee Elder, from California, arrive in court for a hearing in their trial where they are accused of slaying a plainclothes Carabinieri officer while on vacation in Italy last summer, in Rome, on Sept. 16, 2020. Remo Casilli/Pool Photo via AP

ROME—A 20-year-old California man charged with murdering an Italian police officer apologized in court Wednesday, saying he was “filled with remorse” and hoped one day the slain man’s family would forgive him.

Finnegan Lee Elder, who has been on trial in Rome since February along with a fellow American, asked the court for permission to make a spontaneous statement that, he said, he finally had summoned the courage to give.