Courts / Sligo / Report

Husband guilty of murder for strangling wife who wanted her own life

Date
2021-05-19

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Sligo

County
Sligo

Summary

A man from Sligo has been found guilty of murdering his wife at the Central Criminal Court. Rafal Karaczyn, aged thirty-five, of Crozon Park in Sligo, pleaded guilty to manslaughter but not guilty to murder for the unlawful killing of his wife Natalia on 29 April 2018. A jury of eleven members returned a guilty verdict for murder following a two-day deliberation, with ten jurors in agreement. The trial heard that Natalia had sought to leave her husband and have him removed from their home. When she returned to the family residence in the early hours of a Sunday morning, Karaczyn demanded to know where she had been. He subsequently strangled her. Karaczyn claimed provocation, asserting that his wife's slap and refusal to disclose her whereabouts caused him to lose self-control. The jury rejected this defence. Ms Justice Eileen Creedon imposed the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment. Following sentencing, Superintendent Mandy Gaynor commended the garda investigation and thanked the community in Sligo for their cooperation.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Husband guilty of murder for strangling wife who wanted her own life. Charges or matters: manslaughter but not guilty to murder for the unlawful killing of his wife Natalia Karaczyn on April 29, 2018. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

April 29, 2018 Hearing Or Sentence
April 14 Other
April 27 Other
2021-05-19 Publication

Why: " The youngest of Natalia's three children doesn't know who his mother is, she said, adding: "It breaks my heart when they are happy because I want my sister to be there to see it, and it breaks my heart when they are sad because I want Natalia to be there to comfort them. CNI source report