Defendant in shock Italian femicide case sentenced to life

4/12/2024 6:08

        A man who confessed to killing
        his former girlfriend last year, in a notorious femicide case
        that shocked Italy and triggered a national debate on violence
        against women, was on Tuesday found guilty and sentenced to
        life.
        
        A court in Venice issued the ruling, which can be appealed.
        
        The body of Giulia Cecchettin, a 22-year-old university
        student from near Venice, was found dumped near a lake, with
        multiple stab wounds, in November 2023. She had been missing for
        a week after going out with her former partner Filippo Turetta.
        
        Turetta, who had fled by car to Germany, confessed to the
        murder after his arrest and extradition to Italy. The
        prosecution had asked for a life sentence for the 22-year-old
        man, while the defence admitted his guilt but pleaded for a more
        lenient ruling.
        
        In the wake of the murder, Cecchettin's father Gino and
        older sister Elena have become public figures as campaigners
        against gender violence, and rallies and protests have been held
        in the slain student's honour.
        
        Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom, Gino Cecchettin
        said he respected the verdict, but said it offered no
        consolation or vindication for the loss of his daughter.
        
        "I think you don't fight against gender violence with jail
        sentences, but with prevention", he said.
        
        "I accept the verdict, but as soon as it came I realised
        that us being all here means that we have all lost a battle," he
        added.
        
        As of Dec. 1, 101 women have been killed this year in Italy,
        including 53 by a partner or former partner, the interior
        ministry said. This compares with 112 women killed in the same
        period of 2023, including 67 by a partner or ex-partner.