Filippo Turetta, 23, was found guilty of murdering his girlfriend Giulia Cecchettin in Assize Court of Venice, Italy on Tuesday, Dec. 3 after he confessed to stabbing her to death

On Tuesday, more than a year after Ms. Cecchettin’s killing, her former boyfriend, Filippo Turetta, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison, concluding a case that has outraged people across Italy, where chauvinistic attitudes remain deeply rooted at all levels of society.

Turetta, who had fled by car to Germany, confessed to the murder after his arrest and extradition to Italy. The prosecution had asked for a life sentence for the 22-year-old man, while the defence admitted his guilt but pleaded for a more lenient ruling.

The sentence against Filippo Turetta was read in a Venice court a little over a year after the body of Giulia Cecchettin was found in a ditch.