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

The atmosphere in the Parma courthouse today 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 spontaneous statement. Those present describe a thin voice, sometimes cracking, but 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'm not a mother who kills her children." That sentence, striking like a fist, was the core of her defense. Chiara Petrolini reiterated that at the time of the events—those two secret deliveries—she wasn't at all aware she was pregnant. "I wasn't sure," she repeated several times, almost as if trying to convince herself first. She described a changing body, yes, but one she interpreted with uncertainty, caught in a spiral of fear and denial. She spoke of a frightened girl, alone, without even knowing who to ask for help.

From the prosecution's documents, details emerge that have left many horrified: the bodies of the newborns were allegedly abandoned in chilling circumstances. But today, she forcefully rejected the "monster" label 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 to be unaware of two pregnancies?

Among the courtroom benches, 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 face 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 today's statements by Chiara Petrolini:

• "I wasn't sure I was pregnant": she insisted on her lack of awareness of her pregnancies, both the first and the second.
• "I'm not a child killer": she categorically denied any intention to kill the newborns, rejecting the charge of premeditated 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 to grasp what was happening.
• Reading from a prepared statement: she chose to read a prepared text to avoid being overwhelmed by emotion and to ensure she said everything on her mind.

Leaving the courtroom, the feeling is that this case is far more complex than can be summed up in a few news reports. It's not just a story of alleged crimes, but also one of youthful isolation, of changing bodies that go misunderstood, of fears that become insurmountable walls. Here in Parma, we feel it deeply, because it touches raw nerves. Chiara Petrolini is now more than just a name in the papers: she's a young woman who has spoken and now awaits judgment. And the trial, as they say in these cases, has only just begun.