German truck driver suspected of killing Davide Rebellin has asked for a plea deal

The German truck driver suspected of killing Davide Rebellin in a hit-and-run incident last year has asked for a plea deal. The lawyer of Wolfgang Rieke, who is currently detained in prison in Vicenza, Italy following extradition from his native Germany, has requested a sentence of three years for his client, down from a sentence of six-and-a-half years.

The reduction would be based on his plea and on compensation paid to Rebellin's family, a condition required by the deputy public prosecutor Hans Roderich Blattner.

Rebellin's family is fully opposed to such a plea bargain for Rieke, namely in light of his previous charges – a non-fatal hit and run in 2001, where his sentence was overturned due to the state of limitations, and a 2014 charge of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Rebellin, who had recently retired from racing at the age of 51, was killed instantly in the collision in Montebello Vicentino in Veneto. Eyewitnesses at the scene reported seeing Rieke leave his truck and approach Rebellin's body before driving off. He returned to Germany but was identified and traced a month later following a cooperative investigation between Italian, German, Austrian, and Slovenian police.