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Murder of Giulia Cecchettin

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Murder of Giulia Cecchettin
Born
Giulia Cecchettin

(2001-05-05)5 May 2001
Padua, Veneto, Italy
Disappeared11 November 2023
Vigonovo, Veneto, Ifaly
Died11 November 2023(2023-11-11) (aged 22)
Fossò, Veneto, Italy
Cause of deathStabbing
Body discovered18 November 2023
Resting placeSaonara, Veneto, Italy
NationalityItalian
Parents
  • Gino Cecchettin (father)
  • Monica Camerotto (mother)

Giulia Cecchettin (/ˌtʃɛkɛˈtiːn/ CHEK-et-EEN, Italian pronunciation: [tʃekketˈtin]; 5 May 2001 – 11 November 2023) was an Italian college student who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend Filippo Turetta on 11 November 2023. Her murder sparked protests in Italy against femicide and refocused public opinion on domestic violence.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Life

[edit]

Giulia Cecchettin was born in Padua on 5 May 2001 to Gino Cecchettin and Monica Camerotto. She had two siblings, Elena and Davide. She enrolled at University of Padua, where she studied biomedical engineering and met Filippo Turetta. They had a relationship for one year before breaking up in the summer of 2023. Her sister Elena revealed that Turetta was possessive; in the autumn of 2023, he began to behave irrationally, telling Giulia that he felt depressed and suicidal, as he did not see a future without her. Giulia and Turetta continued to meet up, but she confided that she experienced his pressure as emotional blackmail.

Murder

[edit]

On 11 November 2023, Giulia left home, accompanied by Turetta, at around 18:00 to go to a shopping centre in Marghera to buy a pair of shoes for her graduation. Turetta and Giulia also dined together at a McDonald's inside the shopping centre at around 21:02, with Giulia paying for both their meals with her credit card.[7] They then left the building at approximately 22:30. At 22:43, Giulia sent her last message via WhatsApp to her older sister Elena, who was in Vienna at the time for university studies.[8]

The following day, Giulia's father reported her missing at the local Carabinieri station at around 13:30.[8][9] In the meantime, Elena posted appeals on social media to locate the former couple.[10] A witness came forward reporting that at around 23:15 he had seen a violent argument between a boy and a girl from the balcony of his apartment, taking place in a car park located about 150 metres from Giulia's house in Vigonovo. The girl shouted for help and the witness called the 112, but nobody arrived because all units in the area were busy and the closest one was over 45 minutes away from the location.[11] Later, security video footage from a factory located in the nearby town of Fossò showed Turetta violently hitting Giulia. When she tried to escape, Turetta hit her again from the back, then loaded her bleeding body into the boot of his black Fiat Punto.[12][13][2]

A manhunt for Turetta was initiated and was extensively reported on by Italian media for one week. After it emerged that Turetta had crossed the border into Austria, Gino Cecchettin made announcements in English and German, asking the public's help to find Giulia. Italian law enforcement issued a European arrest warrant for Turetta[3] on charges of kidnapping and murder.[14]

Giulia's body was discovered near lake Barcis in Piancavallo on 18 November 2023 by the special dogs unit of the Civil Protection.[4] The body was found inside a large nylon bag in a cave[15] at 50 metres altitude, within a wooded area that is generally closed during the autumn-winter period for security reasons.[16] The Italian forensic services performed an autopsy on 1 December 2023, and reported that Giulia's body had over twenty stab wounds.[17]

One week after the murder, Turetta was arrested in an emergency lane of a motorway near Leipzig, after his car had run out of petrol. His first words to officers upon being stopped were: "I am Filippo Turetta. I killed my girlfriend".[5][18][19][20] On 25 November Turetta was extradited to Italy, on a special Air Force flight that landed in Venice, and incarcerated in Verona prison.[6]

Funeral and reactions

[edit]

Turetta is often called a monster, but he isn't. A monster is an exception, someone outside of society, someone for whom society doesn't have to take any responsibility. But the responsibility is there. "Monsters" aren't ill: they are the healthy sons of the patriarchy and rape culture.

Elena Cecchettin[21]

On 20 November 2023, the Corriere della Sera published a letter by Giulia's older sister Elena, in which she denounced a society responsible for dismissing men who commit violent acts against women as "monsters" or mentally ill, stating that they were in fact the natural result of "patriarchy and rape culture". She invited all men to take responsibility, recalling friends and colleagues who displayed behaviours tolerated by society that could be the prelude to femicide, defined by her as "state murder" and a "crime of power" which society must be educated against.[21]

Cecchettin's funeral was held at the Abbey of Santa Giustina in Padua, officiated by the bishop of Padua Claudio Cipolla, in the presence of approximately 8,000 people and civil and military authorities; the funeral was also aired on the main Italian television channels.[22] Giulia is buried next to her mother Monica, who died of cancer in autumn 2022. Her father Gino delivered the eulogy, urging men to change their attitudes toward women.[23][24]

On 2 February 2024, in the presence of her relatives, the University of Padua conferred an honorary degree to Giulia Cecchettin.[25] Gino Cecchettin has published a book with the title Cara Giulia. Quello che ho imparato da mia figlia ("Dear Giulia. What I have learned from my daughter") about the memories of his daughter and how he lived with the grief of the loss. The book was released in Italy on 5 March 2024.[26]

The Trial

[edit]

On September 23, 2024, the summary judgment trial of Filippo Turetta, accused of voluntary homicide, aggravated by malice aforethought, cruelty, brutality, stalking and improper disposal of a body, began in the Court of Venice, with the premise made by the prosecutor Bruno Cherchi that : "The trial is held to sanction personal responsibilities, it should not judge femicide or social phenomena. I hope that the media hype did not influence the defendant's choice not to appear at the first hearing"[27]. The Cecchettin family, represented by the attorney of Giulia's sister (Elena), has in fact joined the lawsuit, in addition to the municipalities of Vigonovo, where Giulia Cecchettin lived, and Fossò, where the murder took place. The jury of the court has rejected the request to join the lawsuit of five women's defense associations.[28][12] It has been planned that the trial will take place in five hearings, that Turetta will be questioned on October 25 and 28, waiving the possibility of cross-examination of evidence, and that the sentence will be issued on December 3, after the discussion scheduled for November 25 and 26.[29]

During the first hearing, Turetta remained in the prison in Verona, and his parents were absent. The defendant had in fact asked to waive the first appearance, but asking to be questioned: "He is ready to take responsibility in front of the court, the community and the injured parties", according to his defense attorney Giovanni Caruso. The victim's father, Gino Cecchettin, was present in the courtroom, but he preferred to leave his children, Elena and Davide at home and he declared to the press: "I don't want revenge, I have nothing to say to Filippo, I can say that the trial doesn't interest me, for me it all ended on November 11th of a year ago".[11]

As expected, Turetta was questioned during the hearing on October 25th, presenting a 40-page memorial in which he reconstructed what he had done,[30] this inducing the court to cancel the hearing on October 28th, considering the questioning exhausted. [10][31]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Povoledo, Elisabetta (22 November 2023). "Student's Killing Pushes Italy to Confront Violence Against Women". New York times.
  2. ^ a b "Giulia Cecchettin's killing sparks Italian reckoning over femicide". BBC News. 24 November 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Italian woman's death, allegedly at the hands of ex-boyfriend, sparks outcry against femicide". Abc News.
  4. ^ a b Eleonora Panseri (15 November 2023). "Chi sono Giulia Cecchettin e Filippo Turetta e cosa sappiamo sui ragazzi scomparsi in Veneto". fanpage.it. fanpage.it. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  5. ^ a b Povoledo, Elisabetta (8 December 2023). "A Beloved Comedian's Film on Domestic Abuse Draws Italians, in Droves". New York Times.
  6. ^ a b "Opinion: What remains after the murder of Giulia Cecchettin". HS Insider. 27 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Giulia Cecchettin, pagò lei la cena con Filippo quella sera. Il Gip: "Accoltellata a 150 metri da casa e poi ha lottato per 25 minuti"". Il Resto del Carlino (in Italian). 21 November 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Il papà di Giulia Cecchettin: "Temo per la sua incolumità". Ma i carabinieri scrissero: "Non è in pericolo"". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 24 November 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  9. ^ Kassam, Ashifa (25 November 2023). "Anger across Italy as killing of student highlights country's femicide rate". the guardian.
  10. ^ a b "Giulia Cecchettin e l'ex fidanzato Filippo Turetta scomparsi da sabato sera, l'auto ripresa dalle telecamere tra Veneto e Friuli". www.ilmessaggero.it (in Italian). 13 November 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  11. ^ a b Redazione (23 November 2023). "Giulia Cecchettin, i Carabinieri confermano: "Un vicino chiamò il 112 per dare l'allarme, ma tutte le volanti erano già impegnate"". Open (in Italian). Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Giulia Cecchettin, il Ris: "Moltissime tracce di sangue sul sedile dell'auto di Turetta"". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). 10 January 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  13. ^ "Filippo, la Punto nera in giro senza sosta da 72 ore: una fuga di 400 km. L'auto vista in Friuli ma ora si cerca nel Brenta". www.ilgazzettino.it (in Italian). 15 November 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  14. ^ "Filippo Turetta accusato di omicidio e sequestro. La premeditazione? Il procuratore: "Ancora nessuna ipotesi"". Il Resto del Carlino (in Italian). 20 November 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  15. ^ "Giulia Cecchettin gettata da un dirupo alto 50 metri. Il corpo trovato da un cane della Protezione civile". Quotidiano Nazionale (in Italian). 18 November 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  16. ^ "Giulia Cecchettin, il corpo era in un canalone vicino al lago di Barcis. "È stata uccisa con svariate coltellate alla testa e al collo"". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). 18 November 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  17. ^ "Giulia Cecchettin, l'autopsia: "Uccisa con più di 20 coltellate". Turetta interrogato per 9 ore, in lacrime: "Mi è scattato qualcosa in testa"". Il Resto del Carlino (in Italian). 1 December 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  18. ^ Pasqualetto, Andrea (22 November 2023). ""Ho ucciso la mia ragazza". La prima frase di Turetta agli agenti in autostrada". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  19. ^ "Ecco il carcere super protetto dove verrà rinchiuso l'assassino di Giulia Cecchettin". La Stampa. GEDI Gruppo Editoriale. 25 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  20. ^ "Filippo Turetta atterrato in Italia, le ultime notizie sull'omicidio di Giulia Cecchettin: consegnato dalla Germania ammanettato mani e piedi". fanpage.it. fanpage.it. 25 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  21. ^ a b "La lettera di Elena Cecchettin: "I "mostri" non sono malati, sono figli sani del patriarcato"". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 20 November 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  22. ^ Rainews, Redazione di (4 December 2023). "Padova in lutto: in migliaia ai funerali di Giulia Cecchettin. L'abbraccio e il rumore della folla". RaiNews (in Italian). Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  23. ^ "Si è spenta Monica Camerotto, madre di tre figli: ha lottato per sette anni contro un tumore". PadovaOggi. Citynews. 22 October 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  24. ^ "Thousands pay tribute to woman murdered in northern Italy". Returns.
  25. ^ "L'Università di Padova conferisce la laurea alla memoria a Giulia Cecchettin - Notizie - Ansa.it". Agenzia ANSA (in Italian). 2 February 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  26. ^ "Gino Cecchettin: "Ho scritto Cara Giulia per elaborare il mio lutto"". Vanity Fair Italia (in Italian). 4 March 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  27. ^ "Viva la procura di Venezia, che sul processo Turetta dice "no alla spettacolarizzazione"". www.ilfoglio.it (in Italian). Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  28. ^ "Filippo Turetta a processo, il Comune di Fossò parte civile: «Danno d'immagine»". www.ilgazzettino.it (in Italian). 19 September 2024. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  29. ^ Rainews, Redazione di (25 October 2024). "La cronaca dell'udienza: dall'arrivo, all'ammissione della premeditazione. Turetta alla sbarra". RaiNews (in Italian). Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  30. ^ Rainews, Redazione di (27 October 2024). "Filippo Turetta, il dettaglio nel suo memoriale: "Ho 20mila foto di Giulia nel cellulare"". RaiNews (in Italian). Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  31. ^ "Femminicidio di Giulia Cecchettin, il 23 settembre inizia il processo a Filippo Turetta". la Repubblica (in Italian). 15 July 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
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