Italy’s governing coalition is calling on the president to pardon a 72-year-old jeweler who was sentenced to more than 14 years behind bars after fatally shooting two men who robbed his store.
Mario Roggero shot and killed two robbers and injured a third in 2021 following a raid on his jewelry shop in Grinzane Cavour, a small community in northern Italy. Surveillance video captured Roggero pursuing the men into the street after the robbery had already ended.
Roggero’s wife and daughter were present inside the store during the incident. The robbers were armed with a toy gun and a knife.
Italy’s highest court rejected Roggero’s appeal on Wednesday, upholding the 14-year, 9-month sentence. The court determined that Roggero had exceeded the legal boundaries of self-defense because the threat from the robbers had already ended by the time he opened fire outside.
Despite that ruling, the coalition backing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has stood firmly behind Roggero, arguing he was acting to protect his life and his property. Matteo Salvini, who leads the coalition’s far-right League party, expressed his support publicly.
“After a lifetime of work, I don’t think it’s fair to spend years in prison at 72 after being assaulted and robbed,” Salvini said.
The ruling parties issued a joint statement announcing plans to gather signatures in favor of a formal pardon request. Under Italian law, the justice ministry must review such petitions before they are submitted to President Sergio Mattarella for consideration.
The case has sharply divided Italian public opinion. Those who believe Roggero is guilty argue that he clearly crossed the line of lawful self-defense when he chased the robbers and fired at them outside his shop.
Roggero maintained his innocence on social media, where he built a following of thousands of supporters and also sought financial contributions to help pay his legal costs. Italian media reported that he turned himself in Thursday at a jail located in the northern town of Fossano.
Following the finalization of his conviction, Roggero posted a video online thanking those who supported him and encouraging them to keep fighting for what he described as a justice system capable of addressing “increasingly rampant crime.”
