ROME – The captain who is the only defendant on trial for the 2012 shipwreck of the cruise liner Costa Concordia off the Italian coast is trying anew for a plea bargain deal.
Francesco Schettino's trial resumed on Wednesday in Grosseto, Italy, after a week's suspension due to a lawyers' strike. His lawyer, Donato Laino, told reporters the defense holds out little hope the judge will allow a deal for Schettino to plead guilty in exchange for a three-year-five-month sentence. Schettino risks up to 20 years if found guilty in a full trial on charges of manslaughter, abandoning ship and causing the shipwreck that claimed 32 lives.
A different judge in pretrial hearings rejected Schettino's first bid but let five others bargain for more lenient sentences. Schettino calls himself an innocent scapegoat.
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