A jeweler in Italy has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for shooting dead two thugs who robbed his store and tied up his daughter, sparking a fierce debate over the limits of self-defense.
Mario Roggero shot three thieves in Grinzane Cavour on April 28, 2021, after they entered his store, tied his daughter's hands behind her back, threatened to kill his wife and helped themselves to expensive jewelry and watches.
Fearing for his life, Roggero was seen on CCTV chasing them out of the store and shooting at least five times.
Andrea Spinelli and Giuseppe Mazzarino died a few meters from the store's entrance, one in the street and the other on the corner of a side street. A third robber was injured and later arrested.
Roggero's conviction has sparked outrage in Italy as politicians weigh in, saying the jeweler was only defending himself and his family.
“He worked hard all his life, and he was just trying to defend his family and his business,” said Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, expressing his “full solidarity.”
But prosecutors have argued in court that following the thugs outside before they were shot as they got into a car amounts to an “execution.”
Mario Roggero, (photo) shot two robbers dead in Grinzane Cavour on April 28, 2021
Roggero was at work when the trio of thieves entered his store and began looting his wares.
CCTV footage shows the moment the robbers enter and tie up his daughter before searching several cupboards and filling their pockets.
A man, who appears to be Roggero, is held at gunpoint as he is led through the store to a back room.
“They counted: five, four, three… I thought I was going to die,” Roggero later told the Italian press.
He points and gestures to other parts of the store, interacting with one of the thugs for a while before being sent away.
The men filled bags with goods before fleeing outside.
Footage from the parking lot shows Roggero pointing a gun at the thieves and shooting at them as they run.
One was later found dead in the middle of the street, another on a nearby corner.
Alessandro Modica, 35, was injured and taken to hospital after fleeing the scene, after which he was arrested.
Immediately after the events, Roggero was charged with culpable excessive self-defense.
According to the Public Prosecution Service, Roggero shot the men as they fled “with the intention of causing their death, and thus voluntarily exceeding the limits of legitimate patrimonial defense.”
During the trial, Roggero said he chased the men because he feared they had kidnapped his wife.
He added that he was robbed and beaten in 2015 and suffered trauma from the experience that affected his judgment in 2021.
“In his mind there was a reactivation of what had happened six years earlier,” a psychiatrist told the trial.
Ultimately, the court gave Roggero 17 years in prison, three more than the term requested by prosecutors.
Roggero called the verdict a 'victory for crime', according to De Telegraaf reports.
The robbers threatened the jeweler and his family with death and tied his daughter by her hands (photo)
“I'm sorry something like this happened, it's very bad, but it's me or them,” Roggero said after the attempted robbery
Some Italian politicians have expressed support for the jeweler after the decision.
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said: 'After a life of hard work and sacrifice, he was only defending his life and his business.
“The real criminals are the ones who deserve prison, not people like Mario.”
Lucio Malan, a member of the Fratelli d'Italia, said: “If you were to conduct a survey, 95 percent of people would be against this punishment.”
Roggero is expected to appeal the conviction, The Telegraph reports reports.