At the opening of the trial in Venice in September, he warned against a “media trial” and insisted last week on the absence of “aggravating circumstances” such as premeditation.
But according to prosecutor Andrea Petroni, Mr. Turetta acted with “particular brutality” towards his partner before fleeing with the victim in his car.
The body was found a week after his disappearance in a ravine near Lake Barcis, north of Venice, and Mr. Turetta was arrested the next day near Leipzig, Germany.
Giulia’s father, Gino Cecchettin, declined to comment on the potential sentence. “I am already dead inside,” he told public radio Rai last week. “For me, nothing will change. I will never see Giulia again.”
“The only thing I can do (…) is to ensure that there are as few cases as possible like Giulia’s, that there are fewer parents having to mourn a deceased daughter.”
“Patriarchy no longer exists”: far-right minister sparks controversy in Italy
“Patriarchy kills”
The murder of Giulia Cecchettin has reignited the debate on violence against women in Italy, where the culture of flirting often goes hand in hand with macho and sexist behavior.
Thousands of people attended his funeral and his father implored men to “question the culture that tends to minimize violence from seemingly normal men.”
Giulia’s sister, Elena, called for a cultural revolution, urging “burn everything”, a message since written on walls and banners, often accompanied by the phrase: “Patriarchy kills.”
Of 276 murders recorded by the Italian Interior Ministry this year, 100 victims were women – 88 killed by a loved one, the vast majority by a partner or ex.
A figure comparable to the 110 femicides out of 310 murders during the same period last year, including 90 women killed by a loved one. In 2022, 106 women were killed by a loved one, and 107 in 2021.
The Cecchettin family created a foundation to develop awareness, support for women victims of violence and encourage equality and respect.
In Italy, the 105th feminicide of the year causes a shock wave: “Men must all examine their consciences”
In late November, tens of thousands of people marched in Rome and Palermo (Sicily) to mark an international day against femicide, many of them marching in Cecchettin’s name.
While denouncing historical discrimination against women and the absence of policies such as sex education in schools, some activists accuse the ultraconservative government of Giorgia Meloni of abandoning women.
In November, Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara sparked controversy by declaring that “patriarchy no longer exists” in Italian law and blaming violence against women on illegal immigration.
Elena Cecchettin replied that her sister had been killed by a “young white Italian”.
Ms Meloni, the first woman prime minister, said last week that there was no shortage of legislation in Italy, but “the challenge remained above all cultural”.
The leader of the far-right Fratelli d’Italia party also drew a link to illegal immigration, even though official figures from 2022 show that 94% of Italian female murder victims were killed by Italians.
