Italy cop: Student stabbed US roommate while on drugs

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Yara Nardi/F3 PressAlexander Schepis Reid is taken into custody Thursday after he was alleged to have stabbed fellow student Fabio Malpeso.By Praxilla Trabattoni, NBC NewsUpdated at 10:45 a.m. ET: ROME -- A 19-year-old American was in critical condition Friday after he was allegedly stabbed while he slept by a fellow student following a night of partying in the Italian capital, officials told NBC News.

The victim, New Jersey-born Fabio Malpeso underwent surgery for stab wounds to his lungs and other parts of his body. Police said Friday that Malpeso was in critical but stable condition in intensive care at a hospital in Rome.

Authorities said the motive for the attack, which happened in an apartment that overlooks Rome's famous Colosseum early Thursday morning, was unclear. However, detectives suspect "drug- and alcohol-related delirium" might be a factor.

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