Chiara Petrolini in Court: "I'm Not a Killer Mother, I Wasn't Sure I Was Pregnant"

Today in a Parma courtroom, the atmosphere was heavy, almost solemn. Chiara Petrolini, the 22-year-old at the center of a case that has shaken Italy, broke her silence. Facing the judge, she pulled out a sheet of paper and read her voluntary statement. Those present describe a quiet, sometimes cracking voice, but one determined to be heard. She wanted to look her accusers straight in the eye, and perhaps all of us who have been trying for months to make sense of this story.

"I am not a mother who kills her children." This statement, blunt as a punch, is the cornerstone of her defense. Chiara Petrolini reiterated that at the time of the events—those two secret deliveries—she was not at all aware she was pregnant. "I wasn't sure," she emphasized several times, as if trying to convince herself first. She described a body that was changing, yes, but interpreted with uncertainty, caught in a spiral of fear and denial. She spoke of a frightened girl, alone, without even knowing who to turn to for help.

Details emerging from the prosecution's files have chilled many to the bone: the bodies of the newborns were allegedly left in horrifying circumstances. But today, she forcefully rejected the label of "monster" that has been attached to her. She said her life became a living hell long before her arrest, and that she never intended to kill. Her words reignite the debate: is it truly possible not to realize you've had two pregnancies?

From the benches of the courtroom, I gathered impressions from some of the lawyers present: for them, the strategy is clear. Chiara Petrolini is trying to shift the focus from premeditated murder to an inability to cope with reality. But the prosecution has its evidence and its own version of the truth, and this trial is just beginning.

Here are the key points from the statement made today by Chiara Petrolini:

• "I wasn't sure I was pregnant": she insisted on not being aware of her pregnancy, for both the first and second deliveries.
• "I'm not a killer mother": she categorically denied any intention to kill the newborns, rejecting the charge of first-degree murder.
• "I was alone and scared": she painted a picture of a young woman in the grip of panic, unable to ask for help or even realize what was happening.
• Reading from a sheet: she chose to read a prepared text to avoid being overwhelmed by emotion and to ensure she said everything she had in mind.

Leaving the courtroom, the feeling is that this case is far more complex than can be summarized in a few news reports. It's not just a story of alleged crimes, but also one of youth isolation, of bodies changing and not being understood, of fears becoming insurmountable walls. Here in Parma, we feel it deeply because it touches a nerve. Chiara Petrolini is now more than just a name in the papers: she's a young woman who has spoken and is waiting to be judged. And the trial, as they say in these cases, has really only just begun.