Ammon News - A 22-year-old Italian man who confessed in court to killing his ex-girlfriend was convicted of her murder on Tuesday and sentenced to life in prison in a case that fueled national outrage over violence against women.

Filippo Turetta kept his eyes down as the verdict and sentence were read in a Venice court a little over a year after the body of 22-year-old Giulia Cecchettin was found in a ditch in the northern Veneto region. She had been stabbed more than 70 times, and her body was wrapped in plastic bags.

Cecchettin went missing last November after going to the mall with her ex-boyfriend. Her disappearance gripped Italy as authorities searched for them. She was found a week later.

In announcing the verdict, the judge excluded aggravating circumstances of cruelty and stalking but still handed down Italy’s toughest sentence.

AP