The biomedical engineering student Filippo T. was arrested on November 23 after a week-long escape via Austria on a highway near Leipzig after he had to stop on the emergency lane because of an empty gas tank.

Ex-girlfriend ambushed
Surveillance camera footage showed how the man had attacked Giulia C., who was the same age as him, in the parking lot of an industrial area on 12 November and then fled with her in his car. The body of the 22-year-old was later found in a ravine in a mountainous area in the Friulian province of Pordenone with numerous stab wounds to her head and neck. During his escape from Italy to Germany, Filippo T. was also located in Lienz in East Tyrol.

However, it is being investigated whether the student had been planning the murder for weeks beforehand. The purchase of adhesive tape, which the 22-year-old is said to have used to cover his ex-girlfriend's mouth, points to this. It is also still unclear whether the accused had taken two confiscated knives from home.

Defendant does not want to appear in court
The accused was not present in person at the start of the trial on Monday. It remains to be seen whether he will appear in court at all. The 22-year-old had a statement read out via his lawyer. "I will only attend the trial if it is necessary. And I hope that it will be over soon."

After the killing, the Italian parliament passed a bill to strengthen the protection of vulnerable women and survivors of gender-based violence. The package of measures includes increased monitoring of men who are guilty of domestic violence, as well as an increase in the number of staff in the relevant institutions.

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