Murder of Nicholas Green

Nicholas Green (September 9, 1987 – October 1, 1994) was an American boy who was shot and killed in an attempted car robbery while vacationing with his family in Southern Italy.

After the pursuers gave up, Reginald stopped the car, and at this point he and Margaret realized that Nicholas had been shot in the head.

From there, the police took them to a specialist head injuries unit at a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead the next day.

They were awarded Italy's highest honour for civilians "Medaglia d'Oro al Merito Civile".

Following the shooting, Italian police arrested two Mafia men on November 2, 1994, Francesco Mesiano and Michele Iannello.

The monument, set in Bodega Bay, where Nicholas and his family lived, has become a place of pilgrimage as well as a tourist attraction.

It depicts seven birds (like Nicholas' organs that were donated and the number of the recipients) made of steel, floating in a sort of tower.

Reginald Green wrote two books: the first called "The Nicholas Effect" ("Il Dono di Nicholas", in Italian) and the second called "The Gift that Heals" ("Il Dono che Guarisce", in Italian), published jointly with UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) - the non-profit organization that manages the United States's organ transplant system under contract with the federal government.

They are used in nursing schools, hospitals, churches, since the books are considered a complete and useful work on organ donation.

[12] In 1998, a TV movie, Nicholas' Gift, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Alan Bates, was based on the event.

[13] Several schools, streets, gardens and squares in Italian cities have been named or renamed in honor of Nicholas Green.