Italian man who killed robbers to protect wife receives 13 years in prison
January 1, 2020 by Ben Marquis
The Second Amendment-protected right to keep and bear arms and the associated notion of an inherent right to self-defense are things that far too many Americans take for granted and a great many foreigners — who enjoy no such guaranteed rights in their respective countries — can only dream of having.
That appears to be the case for an Italian business owner who was just sentenced to 13 years in prison for the shooting deaths of two robbers who had threatened his wife while holding up his jewelry store, Breitbart reported.
Robbery thwarted by deadly force
It was in February 2008 when three men broke into a jewelry store in Nicolosi, Italy owned by Guido Gianni. The intruders appeared to be armed, and they threatened to kill Gianni’s wife, Mariangela Di Stefano, while in the process of attempting to rob the store.
Gianni, who had been working in a back room of the store, emerged holding a 9mm handgun and fired off warning shots to dissuade the robbers from continuing their crime.
Unfortunately, that only caused the criminals to attack Gianni and, during the ensuing physical scuffle, resulted in his firing more shots at the robbers, killing two and wounding the third.
13-year sentence
Now, 11 years after the incident, Gianni was just sentenced to 13 years in prison for double murder and attempted murder of the robbers, and he was ordered to pay compensation to the families of the two deceased individuals.
During the trial, it was alleged, based on “forensic and ballistic experts,” that Gianni had fired upon the three individuals as they were attempting to flee the store.
On top of that, it was revealed that the gun the robbers had used had been a fake replica. However, given the fact that the colored tip signifying as much had been removed prior to the robbery, Gianni had no way of knowing at the moment that the gun used to threaten the life of his wife wasn’t real.
A travesty of justice
Gianni’s lawyer, Michele Liuzzo, told Italian media that, knowing what the ultimate sentence turned out to be, Gianni would have preferred to have been serving his time in prison during the duration of the lengthy trial rather than wait to begin “a second nightmare” so many years later.
“I’m very, very angry and disappointed — disappointed in the law,” the jeweler’s wife said of the verdict and sentencing. “This is not justice — my husband is an honest man. These thieves attacked me. They were hurting me. They wanted to kill me, and he is at fault for defending me.”
“Defense is always legitimate!” he said. “Italian ‘justice’ condemns the jeweler attacked in Sicily, [and] his wife threatened with death — I am with those who defend themselves, always.”
Italian Who Killed Robbers Threatening to Murder his Wife Jailed for 13 Years
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An Italian man who fatally shot two robbers and wounded a third after they broke into his jewellery shop threatening to murder his wife has been sentenced to 13 years in prison and ordered to compensate the families of the two robbers he killed.
Guido Gianni, a 57-year-old jeweller from Nicolosi, Italy, was sentenced to 13 years for the double murder and attempted murder of armed men who broke into his jewellery shop and threatened to kill his wife in February 2008, according to a report by La Sicilia.
According to La Repubblica, the jeweller’s lawyer, Michele Liuzzo, said that Gianni would have preferred to spend the last eleven years spent waiting already serving his prison sentence, rather than begin it now, and embark on — as Liuzzo put it — “a second nightmare.”
Breitbart TV
The three robbers had entered the jewellery shop with a gun and demanded money and jewels from Gianni’s wife, Mariangela Di Stefano.
Gianni, who had been working in the back of the store, intervened with a 9-millimetre pistol and fired a few shots into the air in an attempt to ward the thieves away.
The thieves apparently reacted by throwing themselves onto Gianni, according to Secolo d’Italia, which led to a scuffle between the jeweller and the three robbers. At some point during the confrontation, Gianni fired his pistol again, fatally wounding two of the thieves.
The report added that “forensic and ballistic experts” later suggested that the jeweller fatally shot the two robbers as they attempted to flee the store.
Moreover, it was later discovered that the gun the thieves had used to threaten Gianni and Di Stefano with was fake — but that there was no way for Gianni to know, as the robbers had removed the red cap to signify that the gun was a replica.
“Defense is always legitimate!” proclaimed former Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini on Twitter in reaction to Gianni’s sentencing.
“Shame!” the populist leader added.
“Italian ‘justice’ condemns the jeweller attacked in Sicily, [and] his wife threatened with death — I am with those who defend themselves, always.”
“I’m very, very angry and disappointed — disappointed in the law,” said Mrs Di Stefano. “This is not justice — my husband is an honest man. These thieves attacked me. They were hurting me. They wanted to kill me, and he is at fault for defending me.”
Gianni’s lawyers claim that the jeweller was acting in self-defence and that his mind was “clouded” during the attack.
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