The trial of Filippo Turetta for the
brutal murder last year of his 22-year-old former girlfriend
Giulia Cecchettin, a case that shocked Italy and highlighted its
problem with femicide and gender-based violence, began in Venice
on Monday.
Turetta, 22, has confessed to stabbing Cecchettin to death at
Fossò, near Venice, on November 11, 2023, days before she was
due to graduate from Padua University in biomedical engineering.
The case caused widespread dismay partly because of the
brutality of the killing and also because of the young age of
the perpetrator and victim.
Prosecutors says Turetta, who was doing the same course was
Cecchettin, stabbed her 75 times.
The defendant was not present at Monday's hearing and his lawyer
Giovanni Caruso told reporters that it was possible that he
would not make any court appearances.
Several of Cecchettin relatives have requested to be admitted as
civil plaintiffs in the trial, along with a number of
associations for the defence of women.
Cecchettin was reported missing on the day she was murdered
after she met up with Turetta and went for a meal with him.
Her body was found in a gully at Val Caltea, near Lake Barcis in
Friuli, on November 18, 2023 .
Turetta went on the run after dumping the corpse.
He was tracked on the side of the road near Leipzig, Germany
after he ran out of money and his car ran out of petrol, a week
after the murder.
Speaking at her funeral in December, the victim's father Gino
Cecchettin said he hoped her death might mark a turning point in
the fight against gender-based violence in Italy.
Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara, who had already committed
to tackling the issue, subsequently sent a circular letter to
schools inviting them to get pupils to reflect on his words.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
