The man convicted of strangling a St. Johns County woman while she was abroad will spend 30 years behind bars.
In January, 35 year-old Ashley Olsen’s body was found inside her Florence, Italy apartment. On Thursday, an Italian jury convicted Cheik Diaw with the murder.
Olsen’s uncle, Roy Hall, tells Action News Jax that life has been on hold for almost a year as the family waited to learn the fate of her killer.
“We had to go through the investigation. We had to go through the charging. We had to go through the trial. You know we’ve just been kind of sitting here," Hall said.
Investigators said Olsen and Diaw met at a nightclub in Florence on Jan 8. According to authorities, the two went back to Olsen’s apartment when a fight turned deadly.
Diaw faced a maximum life in prison punishment but the Italian jury went with a lesser 30-year sentence.
“We’ve done what we’ve had to do. We’ve gone through it as a family," Hall said. "The sentence is what it is and now we’re not going to let this guy monopolize our life. He’s already stolen enough from us.”
Action News Jax law and safety expert Dale Carson says while there are differences in the Italian and American legal systems, Diaw likely would have gotten the same sentence in the United States.
According to Carson, “In circumstances where there’s passion, it’s often considered second degree. Strangling someone is a lot different than planning it in advance.”
Hall said his only hope is that Diaw won’t be able to hurt another family. “At least for another 30 years this monster can’t do this to another family,” he said.