The small town of Castelnuovo del Garda, in northern Italy, experienced a Saturday of grief and shock with the funeral of Jéssica Stappazzollo, a 33-year-old Brazilian woman who was stabbed to death at the end of October.
The crime was committed by Douglas Reis Pedroso., 41, also Brazilian, confessed to killing his ex-girlfriend with 27 stab wounds. He violated court orders prohibiting him from approaching the victim, removing his electronic ankle monitor before the attack.
The ceremony was held at the Church of Santa Maria, without the presence of the press. The victim's parents and siblings, who came from Brazil, attended, along with local residents and authorities.
Municipal mourning and words of solidarity.
Mayor Davide Sandrini declared municipal mourning and spoke during the ceremony. "We join in the immense grief of the families. The community is supportive and mourns with them," he said.
Bishop Luca Rosi and Bishop Osvaldo Checchini, the local parish priest and vicar of the Diocese of Verona, celebrated the Mass. "We embraced through tears," Bishop Osvaldo recounted after speaking with Jessica's father.
History of violence ignored
Douglas Pedroso was already facing charges for domestic violence and was under electronic monitoring. However, the device was removed before the crime. He may now be... sentenced to life imprisonment, the maximum penalty stipulated in Italian law for femicide.
The family's lawyer, Elisabetta Carattoni, stated that investigators are finalizing their findings. "The family is devastated," she declared.
Mother of two children
Jessica leaves behind two children, a boy and a girl, from previous relationships. The children were not living with her at the time of the crime.
The murder reignited the debate about protecting women at risk in Italy, a country that recently toughened penalties for femicide cases.
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