A 16-year-old Italian boy admitted pushing his 13-year-old ex-girlfriend Aurora Tila from a seventh-floor balcony after months of lying about the fall.
A 16-year-old Italian boy has confessed to pushing his 13-year-old ex-girlfriend Aurora Tila from a seventh-floor balcony in Piacenza, Italy, after months of claiming she had taken her own life.
The teenager, who was 15 at the time of the killing in October 2024, was convicted of murder and sentenced to 17 years in prison. During a video link from a juvenile prison on Sunday, he admitted the crime and apologized for waiting so long to tell the truth.
Lawyer Emilio Malaspina, representing Aurora's mother, said: "With confession a circle closes. But we hope that the court will confirm the sentence which established an appropriate penalty."
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Victim Had Feared Ex-Boyfriend's Possessive Behavior
The boy had previously maintained that Aurora fell to her death accidentally or took her own life. Detectives found his account did not match the evidence.
According to prosecutors, the pair had been in a relationship for several months before separating because of the boy's allegedly possessive behavior. Investigators uncovered messages where Aurora told friends she felt persecuted by her ex-boyfriend, described him as stalking her, and even asked an AI service for advice on dealing with him.
A witness told police they saw Aurora clinging to the balcony railing while the boy struck her hands, causing her to fall. A former cellmate also claimed the teenager admitted pushing Aurora.
The court found the offense was aggravated by stalking, the victim's age, and the former relationship.
Following Sunday's confession, Malaspina said: "This is a confession that came very late and it will be the court that will assess its weight during the discussion. If this confession were to serve to obtain a reduction of three or four years, we believe that it would be unfair."
Aurora's sister Viktoria had rejected claims that Aurora took her own life, saying she was afraid of her ex-boyfriend. The appeal hearing resumes on September 10.
