A Venice court is set to deliver its verdict in the Cecchettin murder trial later today. Filippo Turetta, 23-years-old, confessed to the brutal murder of his former girlfriend, Giulia Cecchettin, in November 2023.
The case, which has drawn nationwide attention, has reignited discussions about femicide and gender-based violence in Italy.
Turetta admitted to stabbing Cecchettin, aged 22, 75 times on November 11, 2023, in Fossò, near Venice. Cecchettin, a promising biomedical engineering student at Padua University, was just days away from graduating. Both she and Turetta had been studying the same course.
The murder shocked the nation not only due to its ferocity but also because of the young ages of both the victim and the perpetrator. Cecchettin’s disappearance was reported on the day of her death, after she had met Turetta for a meal. Her body was discovered a week later in a gully at Val Caltea, near Lake Barcis in Friuli.
Turetta fled after disposing of the body but was apprehended near Leipzig, Germany, when his car ran out of petrol, and he ran out of money.
In court on Tuesday, Turetta was joined by the victim’s father, Gino Cecchettin, who is a civil plaintiff in the case. Judges retired to chambers to deliberate the verdict, which is expected after 3:00 pm.
At Giulia’s funeral last December, her father expressed hope that her tragic death would spark meaningful change in addressing gender-based violence in Italy. His words resonated widely, prompting Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara to issue a circular to schools, urging students to reflect on the issue and the need for societal change.
Last month, the Fondazione Giulia Cecchettin was launched in Giulia’s memory.
