A Venice court on Tuesday is expected
to announce its verdict on Filippo Turetta, a 23-year-old man
who has confessed to brutal murder last year of his 22-year-old
former girlfriend Giulia Cecchettin in a case that shocked Italy
and highlighted its problem with femicide and gender-based
violence.
Turetta has admitted 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 say Turetta, who was doing the same course as
Cecchettin, stabbed her 75 times.
Turetta was present in court on Tuesday as was the victim's
father Gino Cecchettin, who is among the civil plaintiffs in the
trial.
The judges have gone into chambers to consider the verdict,
which they are not expected to announce before 15:00.
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, Gino Cecchettin said he
hoped his daughter's 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
