Bay Area father visits son held in death of Italian police officer
ROME (KGO) -- San Francisco's Ethan Elder visited his son, Finn, today for the first time since the 19-year-old was arrested in connection with the stabbing death of an Italian police officer last Friday.
Police say Finn Elder and 18-year old Gabriel Natale-Hjorth stabbed Carabinieri officer Mario Cerciello Rega 11 times following what they say was a drug deal gone bad.
I-TEAM EXCLUSIVE: Italian Police stabbing suspect posted on Instagram with knife before trip
Lawyers for Natale-Hjorth are asking judge to release him while the investigation is underway.
Elder's family tells the ABC7 I-Team they arranged this solo trip to Italy for him, hoping he would have a break from his circle of friends. They booked one night at the Meridian Hotel in Rome so he could meet Natale-Hjorth, who had been visiting his grandfather, who lives near Rome.
The young men were 2018 graduates of Tam High in Mill Valley.
The I-Team has learned that a second investigation was launched into why police handcuffed and blindfolded Natale-Hjorth before his interrogation. An Italian judge has already called that "illegal" and "unacceptable".
Lawyers for both suspects and the widow all came back to the hotel, where the young men stayed. They want a forensic team to look for new blood evidence.
The I-Team's Dan Noyes is in Italy covering the investigation for ABC7. Follow his updates on Twitter and Facebook.
