Ilaria Sula and Sara Campanella: Remember Their Names

Ilaria Sula and Sara Campanella: Remember Their Names

Ilaria Sula and Sara Campanella, two young women, both just 22 years old, were brutally murdered in Italy within just two days of each other. Two days. Two lives lost. Two women killed for doing something that should never cost anyone their life: saying “no”.

Ilaria Sula was murdered by her ex boyfriend, Eric Samson. After taking her life, he stuffed her body into a suitcase and threw it off a cliff, attempting to erase her existence in the most inhumane way. Sara Campanella was killed in broad daylight, right in front of her university, by Stefano Argentino, a stalker obsessed with her. Stefano couldn’t accept her rejection and responded with fatal violence, stabbing her multiple times in front of many bystanders, her university colleagues tried desperately to intervene and save her life.

In the days that followed, more disturbing details emerged. In Sara’s case, her killer’s mother has confessed to helping clean up the crime scene. His father is still under investigation. Meanwhile, it has been revealed that Sara recorded a conversation with Stefano, where she firmly and respectfully rejected his advances. She told him clearly that she was never interested in a relationship with him. Despite her clarity, he accused her of giving him “false hope”, a dangerous narrative that implies a woman owes a man something for simply existing near him.

As for Ilaria, evidence shows she had also been stalked prior to her murder. Her ex boyfriend couldn’t accept the break up. Ilaria was a very caring person and she was worried about Eric’s school career because he wasn’t studying at all and investigators affirms this would have caused lot of fights between the 2 of them. Another scary detail is that Ilaria was highly disliked by Eric’s parents. These were not isolated, random crimes. They were the culmination of toxic masculinity, entitlement, and societal failure to protect women.

And let’s not forget Giulia Cecchettin, another 22 year old Italian woman, murdered by her ex boyfriend Filippo Turetta, who stabbed her 75 times. How many times does a man need to stab a woman before society realizes that misogyny is lethal?

Italian women are furious and rightly so. On social media platforms, hashtags like #StopFemminicidio, #NonUnaDiMeno and #GiustiziaPerSara are trending. Women are sharing their own stories of harassment and fear. They’re organizing protests, candlelight vigils and raising their voices in a unified cry for change. The collective grief has turned into a collective rage.

They’re saying it clearly: “Misogyny is killing us”, and they’re right. These men didn’t just snap. They were products of a deeply patriarchal culture that teaches men they’re entitled to women’s bodies, attention and obedience, that violence is a valid response to rejection.

The Italian feminist movement is calling it what it is: femminicidio, femicide, the killing of women because they are women. The 4B mindset is spreading fast.

Women are done being polite. They’re done being quiet. They’re angry and that anger is righteous. It’s necessary.

These murderers aren’t monsters, they are men. Ordinary men. Sons, brothers, classmates, coworkers. And that’s what makes this all the more terrifying. As long as society keeps excusing male violence, romanticizing obsession and silencing women, the bloodshed will continue.

We must remember Ilaria. We must remember Sara. We must remember Giulia.

We must fight for justice, for change, for every woman who dares to say “no” and still deserves to live. ♀