{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2025}} {{Expand Italian|topic=hist|Omicidio di Giulia Cecchettin|date=July 2024}} {{Short description|2023 murder in Fossò, Italy}} {{Infobox person | name = | image = Giulia-Cecchettin.jpg | image_caption = | birth_name = Giulia Cecchettin | birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|2001|05|05}} | birth_place = Padua, Veneto, Italy | death_date = {{Death date and age|2023|11|11|2001|05|05|df=yes}} | death_place = Fossò, Veneto, Italy | death_cause = Stabbing | citizenship = | disappeared_date = 11 November 2023 | disappeared_place = Vigonovo, Veneto, Italy | disappeared_status = | body_discovered = 18 November 2023 | resting_place = Saonara, Veneto, Italy | resting_place_coordinates = | known_for = | mother = Monica Camerotto | father = Gino Cecchettin | height = }} '''Giulia Cecchettin''' ({{IPA|it|ˈdʒuːlja tʃekketˈtin|lang}}, {{IPA|vec|tʃekeˈtiŋ|lang}}; 5 May 2001 – 11 November 2023) was an Italian university student who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend Filippo Turetta on 11 November 2023. Her murder sparked protests in Italy against femicide.<ref name=":0">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/22/world/europe/italy-giulia-cecchettin-violence-against-women.html|title=Student's Killing Pushes Italy to Confront Violence Against Women|work=New York times |date=22 November 2023 |last1=Povoledo |first1=Elisabetta }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67514334|title=Giulia Cecchettin's killing sparks Italian reckoning over femicide|date=24 November 2023 |publisher=BBC News}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/italian-womans-death-allegedly-hands-boyfriend-sparks-outcry/story?id=105657035|title=Italian woman's death, allegedly at the hands of ex-boyfriend, sparks outcry against femicide|publisher=Abc News}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{cite news|access-date=15 November 2023|author=Eleonora Panseri|date=15 November 2023|publisher=fanpage.it|title=Chi sono Giulia Cecchettin e Filippo Turetta e cosa sappiamo sui ragazzi scomparsi in Veneto|url=https://www.fanpage.it/attualita/chi-sono-giulia-cecchettin-e-filippo-turetta-e-cosa-sappiamo-sui-ragazzi-scomparsi-in-veneto/|website=fanpage.it}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref><ref name=":4">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/08/movies/italy-paola-cortellesi-theres-still-tomorrow.html|title=A Beloved Comedian's Film on Domestic Abuse Draws Italians, in Droves|work=New York Times|date=8 December 2023 |last1=Povoledo |first1=Elisabetta }}</ref><ref name=":5">{{cite web|url=https://highschool.latimes.com/hs-insider/opinion-what-remains-after-the-murder-of-giulia-cecchettin/|title=Opinion: What remains after the murder of Giulia Cecchettin|date=27 December 2023 |publisher=HS Insider}}</ref> Together with the murder of Giulia Tramontano, it was the case that in the 2020s contributed most to public opinion on domestic violence.<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 November 2023 |title=Giulia Cecchettin e Giulia Tramontano: tante similitudini tra i due femminicidi |url=https://www.ilgiorno.it/cronaca/giulia-cecchettin-giulia-tramontano-femminicidi-alessandro-impagnatiello-processo-ngnshyo0}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=20 November 2023 |title=Sarà ossessione del possesso? Non chiamatelo amore, quello vero non calpesta |url=https://www.lagazzettadelmezzogiorno.it/news/editoriali/1450335/sara-ossessione-del-possesso-non-chiamatelo-amore-quello-vero-non-calpesta.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=7 January 2024 |title=L'omicidio di Giulia Cecchettin e le polemiche. Il mio pensiero… |url=https://ecodimilanoeprovincia.it/omicidio-giulia-cecchettin/}}</ref>
==Life== Giulia Cecchettin was born in Padua on 5 May 2001 to Gino Cecchettin (born in 1970) and Monica Camerotto (1971– October 2022). She has two siblings, Elena (born in 1999) and Davide (born in 2006).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chi Siamo |url=https://fondazionegiulia.org/la-fondazione/chi-siamo/ |access-date=6 July 2025 |website=Fondazione Giulia Cecchettin |language=it-IT}}</ref>
She was enrolled at University of Padua, where she studied biomedical engineering and met Filippo Turetta (born on 18 December 2001). They had a relationship that ended in August 2023, though they continued to stay in contact.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Scomparsi da sabato, cercati ovunque Giulia Cecchettin e Filippo Turetta |url=https://www.veronasera.it/cronaca/giulia-cecchettin-filippo-turetta-scomparsi-novembre-2023.html |access-date=6 July 2025 |website=VeronaSera |language=it}}</ref> 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== On 11 November 2023, Cecchettin 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 Cecchettin 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.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |date=21 November 2023 |title=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' |url=https://www.ilrestodelcarlino.it/cronaca/giulia-cecchettin-filippo-turetta-diretta-o4k3vfky |access-date=13 March 2024 |website=Il Resto del Carlino |language=it}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |date=24 November 2023 |title=Il papà di Giulia Cecchettin: 'Temo per la sua incolumità'. Ma i carabinieri scrissero: 'Non è in pericolo' |url=https://corrieredelveneto.corriere.it/notizie/venezia-mestre/cronaca/23_novembre_24/giulia-cecchettin-chiamata-112-denuncia-non-in-pericolo-di-vita-ad528e04-5753-4ffc-911b-da3592284xlk.shtml |access-date=13 March 2024 |website=Corriere della Sera |language=it-IT}}</ref>
At around 13:30 the following day, Giulia's father Gino reported her missing at the local Carabinieri station.<ref name=":8"/><ref name=":9">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/25/anger-across-italy-as-killing-of-student-highlights-countrys-femicide-rate|title=Anger across Italy as killing of student highlights country's femicide rate|work=the guardian|date=25 November 2023 |last1=Kassam |first1=Ashifa }}</ref> Elena posted appeals on social media for the public to locate the couple.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=13 November 2023 |title=Giulia Cecchettin e l'ex fidanzato Filippo Turetta scomparsi da sabato sera, l'auto ripresa dalle telecamere tra Veneto e Friuli |url=https://www.ilmessaggero.it/italia/giulia_cecchettin_scomparsa_fidanzato_filippo_turetta_cosa_e_successo-7752912.html |access-date=16 March 2024 |website=www.ilmessaggero.it |language=it}}</ref> A witness came forward reporting that at around 23:15 on 11 November, he had seen a violent argument between a boy and a girl from the balcony of his apartment, taking place in a car park about 150 metres from Giulia's family home in Vigonovo. The girl shouted for help and the witness called 112; none arrived as all units in the area were busy and the closest one was over 45 minutes away from the location.<ref name=":11">{{Cite web |last=Redazione |date=23 November 2023 |title=Giulia Cecchettin, i Carabinieri confermano: "Un vicino chiamò il 112 per dare l'allarme, ma tutte le volanti erano già impegnate" |url=https://www.open.online/2023/11/23/giulia-cecchettin-femmincidio-filippo-turetta-indagini-23-nov/ |access-date=13 March 2024 |website=Open |language=it-IT}}</ref> Later, security video footage from a factory located in the nearby town of Fossò showed Turetta violently hitting Cecchettin. 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.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |date=10 January 2024 |title=Giulia Cecchettin, il Ris: 'Moltissime tracce di sangue sul sedile dell'auto di Turetta' |url=https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2024/01/10/giulia-cecchettin-ris-tracce-di-sangue-sedile-auto-di-turetta/7405999/ |access-date=16 March 2024 |website=Il Fatto Quotidiano |language=it-IT}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=15 November 2023 |title=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 |url=https://www.ilgazzettino.it/nordest/padova/ex_fidanzati_scomparsi_punto_nera_auto_filippo_turetta_fuga_ricerche_friuli_brenta_giulia_cecchettin-7756052.html |access-date=16 March 2024 |website=www.ilgazzettino.it |language=it}}</ref><ref name=":1" />
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<ref name=":2" /> on charges of kidnapping and murder.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 November 2023 |title=Filippo Turetta accusato di omicidio e sequestro. La premeditazione? Il procuratore: 'Ancora nessuna ipotesi' |url=https://www.ilrestodelcarlino.it/venezia/cronaca/filippo-turetta-reato-omicidio-volontario-a2w8hzxx |access-date=16 March 2024 |website=Il Resto del Carlino |language=it}}</ref>
Giulia's body was discovered near a lake in Barcis, Piancavallo on 18 November 2023 by the special dogs unit of the Civil Protection.<ref name=":3" /> The body was found inside a large nylon bag in a cave<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 November 2023 |title=Giulia Cecchettin gettata da un dirupo alto 50 metri. Il corpo trovato da un cane della Protezione civile |url=https://www.quotidiano.net/cronaca/giulia-cecchettin-corpo-ritrovato-woqzrmve |access-date=16 March 2024 |website=Quotidiano Nazionale |language=it}}</ref> at 50 metres altitude, within a wooded area that is generally closed during the autumn-winter period for security reasons.<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 November 2023 |title=Giulia Cecchettin, il corpo era in un canalone vicino al lago di Barcis. 'È stata uccisa con svariate coltellate alla testa e al collo' |url=https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2023/11/18/giulia-cecchettin-il-corpo-era-in-un-canalone-vicino-al-lago-di-barcis-e-stata-uccisa-con-svariate-coltellate-alla-testa-e-al-collo/7357639/ |access-date=17 March 2024 |website=Il Fatto Quotidiano |language=it-IT}}</ref> An autopsy conducted on 1 December 2023 reported that Giulia's body had 25 – 30 stab wounds. Some of the wounds were defensive.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 December 2023 |title=Giulia Cecchettin, l'autopsia: 'Uccisa con più di 20 coltellate'. Turetta interrogato per 9 ore, in lacrime: 'Mi è scattato qualcosa in testa' |url=https://www.ilrestodelcarlino.it/veneto/cronaca/giulia-cecchettin-autopsia-oggi-omicidio-mcafsi92 |access-date=16 March 2024 |website=Il Resto del Carlino |language=it}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2 December 2023 |title=Femminicidio di Giulia Cecchettin, ecco i risultati dell'autopsia durata 14 ore – Attualità {{!}} l'Adige.it |url=https://www.ladige.it/attualita/2023/12/02/femminicidio-di-giulia-cecchettin-ecco-i-risultati-dell-autopsia-durata-14-ore-1.3647662 |access-date=8 July 2025 |website=l'Adige |language=Italian}}</ref>
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".<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Pasqualetto |first=Andrea |date=22 November 2023 |title='Ho ucciso la mia ragazza'. La prima frase di Turetta agli agenti in autostrada |url=https://www.corriere.it/cronache/23_novembre_22/ho-ucciso-mia-ragazza-prima-frase-filippo-turetta-c33dbea0-88b3-11ee-814b-bd611eb55d4a.shtml |access-date=13 March 2024 |website=Corriere della Sera |language=it-IT}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|access-date=25 November 2023|date=25 November 2023|periodical=La Stampa|publisher=GEDI Gruppo Editoriale|title=Ecco il carcere super protetto dove verrà rinchiuso l'assassino di Giulia Cecchettin|url=https://www.lastampa.it/cronaca/2023/11/25/news/ecco_il_carcere_dove_sara_rinchiuso_filippo_turetta-13887689/}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref><ref>{{cite news|access-date=25 November 2023|date=25 November 2023|publisher=fanpage.it|title=Filippo Turetta atterrato in Italia, le ultime notizie sull'omicidio di Giulia Cecchettin: consegnato dalla Germania ammanettato mani e piedi|url=https://www.fanpage.it/live/giulia-cecchettin-oggi-filippo-turetta-in-italia-le-ultime-news-sullarrivo-dalla-germania-cortei-a-roma-per-la-giornata-contro-la-violenza-sulle-donne/|website=fanpage.it}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref> On 25 November Turetta was extradited to Italy, on a special Air Force flight that landed in Venice, and incarcerated in Verona prison.<ref name=":5" />
==Funeral and reactions== {{quote box|align=right|width=33%|quoted=1|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<ref name=":10" />}}
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.<ref name=":10" >{{Cite web |date=20 November 2023 |title=La lettera di Elena Cecchettin: 'I 'mostri' non sono malati, sono figli sani del patriarcato' |url=https://corrieredelveneto.corriere.it/notizie/venezia-mestre/cronaca/23_novembre_20/lettera-elena-cecchettin-a165ccdc-5bd8-4db1-bdaf-963424ba0xlk.shtml |access-date=18 March 2024 |website=Corriere della Sera |language=it-IT}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rainews |first=Redazione di |date=4 December 2023 |title=Padova in lutto: in migliaia ai funerali di Giulia Cecchettin. L'abbraccio e il rumore della folla |url=https://www.rainews.it/maratona/2023/12/funerali-di-giulia-cecchettin-martedi-5-dicembre-ore-11-diretta-tv-rai-padova-citta-blindata-e-maxi-schermi--4b535466-34e8-46ae-8186-a556edd40414.html |access-date=18 March 2024 |website=RaiNews |language=it}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|access-date=7 December 2023|date=22 October 2022|periodical=PadovaOggi|publisher=Citynews|title=Si è spenta Monica Camerotto, madre di tre figli: ha lottato per sette anni contro un tumore|url=https://www.padovaoggi.it/cronaca/morte-monica-camerotto-saonara-22-ottobre-2022.html}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/thousands-pay-tribute-woman-murdered-northern-italy-2023-12-05/|title=Thousands pay tribute to woman murdered in northern Italy|publisher=Returns}}</ref>
On 2 February 2024, in the presence of her relatives, the University of Padua conferred an honorary degree to Giulia Cecchettin.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 February 2024 |title=L'Università di Padova conferisce la laurea alla memoria a Giulia Cecchettin – Notizie – Ansa.it |url=https://www.ansa.it/veneto/notizie/2024/02/02/giulia-luniversita-di-padova-le-conferisce-laurea-alla-memoria_0e5b5b1e-aa97-41bc-90cb-d6cb823fb30e.html |access-date=13 March 2024 |website=Agenzia ANSA |language=it}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 March 2024 |title=Gino Cecchettin: "Ho scritto Cara Giulia per elaborare il mio lutto" |url=https://www.vanityfair.it/article/gino-cecchettin-libro-cara-giulia-che-tempo-che-fa |access-date=23 March 2024 |website=Vanity Fair Italia |language=it-IT}}</ref>
==Trial== On 23 September 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."''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Viva la procura di Venezia, che sul processo Turetta dice "no alla spettacolarizzazione" |url=https://www.ilfoglio.it/giustizia/2024/09/23/news/viva-la-procura-di-venezia-che-sul-processo-turetta-dice-no-alla-spettacolarizzazione--6970314/ |access-date=29 October 2024 |website=www.ilfoglio.it |language=it}}</ref>'' ''The Cecchettin family, represented by the attorney of Giulia's sister (Elena), 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 rejected the request by five women's defense associations to join the lawsuit.<ref>{{Cite web |date=19 September 2024 |title=Filippo Turetta a processo, il Comune di Fossò parte civile: «Danno d'immagine» |url=https://www.ilgazzettino.it/schede/filippo_turetta_processo_comune_fosso_parte_civile-8363453.html |access-date=29 October 2024 |website=www.ilgazzettino.it |language=it}}</ref><ref name=":12" /> It was planned that the trial will take place in five hearings, that Turetta will be questioned on 25 and 28 October, waiving the possibility of cross-examination of evidence, and that the sentence will be issued on 3 December, after the discussion scheduled for 25 and 26 November.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rainews |first=Redazione di |date=25 October 2024 |title=La cronaca dell'udienza: dall'arrivo, all'ammissione della premeditazione. Turetta alla sbarra |url=https://www.rainews.it/articoli/2024/10/la-cronaca-delludienza-dallarrivo-allammissione-della-premeditazione-turetta-alla-sbarra-omicidio-cecchettin-3dfcf8d9-ed84-4ad4-a0a2-a8b54f0777bc.html |access-date=29 October 2024 |website=RaiNews |language=it}}</ref>
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."''<ref name=":11" />
As expected, Turetta was questioned during the hearing on 25 October, presenting a 40-page memorial in which he reconstructed what he had done,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rainews |first=Redazione di |date=27 October 2024 |title=Filippo Turetta, il dettaglio nel suo memoriale: "Ho 20mila foto di Giulia nel cellulare" |url=https://www.rainews.it/articoli/2024/10/filippo-turetta-il-dettaglio-nel-memoriale-dal-carcere-ho-20mila-foto-di-giulia-nel-cellulare-70ddf4d5-bab5-43c7-a812-d512b76b1942.html |access-date=29 October 2024 |website=RaiNews |language=it}}</ref> thus inducing the court to cancel the hearing on 28 October, as the questioning had been exhausted.<ref name=":6" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=15 July 2024 |title=Femminicidio di Giulia Cecchettin, il 23 settembre inizia il processo a Filippo Turetta |url=https://www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2024/07/15/news/giulia_cecchettin_inizia_processo_filippo_turetta_23_settembre-423396626/ |access-date=17 July 2024 |website=la Repubblica |language=it}}</ref> During the hearing on 25 November 2024 (the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) the public prosecutor asked for life imprisonment for Turetta.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 November 2024 |title=Chiesto l'ergastolo per Filippo Turetta per il femminicidio di Giulia Cecchettin – Notizie – Ansa.it |url=https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/cronaca/2024/11/25/chiesto-lergastolo-per-filippo-turetta-per-il-femminicidio-di-giulia-cecchettin_d86b43bb-2d4e-4763-aef0-6c64d59df6cc.html |access-date=28 November 2024 |website=Agenzia ANSA |language=it}}</ref> Turetta was sentenced to life imprisonment on 3 December 2024, and the trial was closed at first instance. The aggravating circumstances of premeditation, kidnapping, and concealed corpse were acknowledged, while stalking and cruelty were rejected.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Giulia Cecchettin: Ex-boyfriend Turetta sentenced to life in jail |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyjnp74jldo |access-date=4 December 2024 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}</ref>
==See also== * List of solved missing person cases (2020s)
==References== {{reflist}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Cecchettin, Giulia}} Category:2020s missing person cases Crimes Category:Female murder victims Category:Formerly missing Italian people Category:Incidents of violence against women Category:Missing person cases in Italy Category:Murdered students Category:Intimate partner violence Category:Incidents of domestic violence Category:November 2023 in Italy Category:Femicide in Italy Category:People murdered in 2023