A Monza Assize Court on Friday sentenced Zakaria Atqaoui, 23, to 24 years in prison for stabbing his ex-girlfriend Sofia Castelli, 20, to death on 29 July last in Cinisello Balsamo (Milan) Prosecutors had asked for life imprisonment. "It is a severe but still unjust sentence", commented the victim's family's lawyers.
Italy is enduring a wave of femicides. The death toll from femicides in Italy stands at more than 1,000 since the start of the year. The number is expected to rise over the next few months as the country struggles to cope with the number of victims. The victims are mostly young women, but some of them are older than 30 years of age, according to a report by the Italian Institute of Criminology. The victim was stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend in front of a group of friends and family members in the early hours of 29 July. The murder took place in the town of Ciniselli BALSamo in the province of Monza.