Filippo Turetta has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Giulia Cecchettin, a university student whose brutal murder shed a dark light on femicide in Italy. Cecchettin, 22, was stabbed more than 70 times before her body was wrapped in black plastic bags and dumped in a ditch near a lake north of Venice in November last year. His killing sparked protests across the country.
Turetta, Cecchettin’s ex-boyfriend, was arrested in Germany on November 19, 2023, the day after the body was discovered. In October, he told a Venice court that he planned to kidnap and kill Cecchettin after she refused to return to him.
The judges also ordered Turetta to pay total compensation of 760,000 euros to the Cecchettin family. Prosecutor Andrea Petroni had requested life imprisonment, saying that Turetta had acted with “particular brutality”.
Turetta’s lawyer, Giovanni Caruso, said the life sentence was excessive, saying his client “was not Pablo Escobar,” the notorious Colombian drug trafficker.
Cecchettin, a biomedical engineering student, disappeared on November 11, 2023 after going to a shopping center in Marghera, accompanied by Turetta, to buy a dress for her upcoming diploma.
During the week-long police search, road surveillance footage emerged showing Turetta hitting Cecchettin, who tried to escape before being forced back into the car.
His father, Gino, told the press: “Justice was served in accordance with the laws in force.” However, he added: “As a society, we have all lost. »
Last week, he said his daughter’s memory had been further “humiliated” by Turetta’s comparison to Escobar. On Tuesday, attorney Caruso shook the father’s hand and told him, “I understand. “It’s my job, it’s not easy.”
Andrea Camerotto, Cecchettin’s uncle, told reporters: “I am not in favor of pardon; I will never forgive [a la persona] who killed my niece and I will never forgive those who hurt women.
Cecchettin’s relationship with Turetta lasted about a year, before ending it in August 2023. His sister, Elena, told the Guardian last week that the “control and manipulation” began early on, with a seizure of jealousy after Giulia said she was going to meet a friend she knew from high school. And he added that he was never physically violent, but that, as in many cases of femicide, Turetta could not accept that the relationship was over.
A foundation was created last month in Cecchettin’s memory.
Since Cecchettin’s death, 106 women have been murdered by a man in Italy. In the vast majority of cases, the suspect was their current or former partner.
