A trial is taking place in Italy over the murder of a woman that shocked the country and sparked a debate about femicide

ROME – The trial for the brutal murder of a 22-year-old woman began in Italy on Monday. The case shocked the country and sparked a debate about the cultural roots of rising gender-based violence.

According to authorities, Giulia Cecchettin’s ex-boyfriend Filippo Turetta, also 22, confessed to stabbing her to death in Fosso, near Venice, on November 11, 2023, just days before she was due to graduate with a degree in biomedical engineering.

He now faces charges including manslaughter, intentional homicide and kidnapping, and could face a life sentence. A verdict is expected in early December, local media reported.

Prosecutors say Turetta was unable to cope with the separation from Cecchettin and persuaded Cecchettin to go on one last shopping spree and have a meal together before killing her.

The woman’s body was found at the bottom of a ditch with more than 20 stab wounds. Turetta fled to Germany, was caught and is now in prison, awaiting the verdict of the court in Venice.

The Cecchettin case made headlines in Italy and around the world, shedding new light on the problem of femicide, which is worryingly widespread on the Italian peninsula.

In 2023 alone, 120 women were killed in Italy and more than half of them died at the hands of their partners or ex-partners.

Cecchettin’s murder sparked outrage across the country, both because of the brutality of the killing and because of the age of both the alleged murderer and the victim.

Turetta was not present at Monday’s hearing, but his lawyer, Giovanni Caruso, told reporters he would likely appear in court in the future.

Several of Cecchettin’s relatives have applied to be admitted as civil plaintiffs in the trial, and her family is seeking about one million euros ($1.1 million) in damages.

Cecchettin’s father Gino said on Monday that he was not seeking “vengeance” and had full confidence in the court’s decision.

At his daughter’s funeral last December, he called on men to be “agents of change” in a culture that “undervalues ​​women’s lives.” He urged them “not to turn away from signs of violence, even the slightest.”

Giulia’s sister Elena has repeatedly argued that her murder and other cases of femicide in Italy were due to a cultural factor, blaming a patriarchal society that has long accepted male violence and control.