Rafal Karaczyn found guilty of murdering wife in Sligo

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Rafal Karaczyn was found guilty of murdering his wife, Natalia Karaczyn, at the Central Criminal Court. Ms Justice Eileen Creedon sentenced him to the mandatory term of life imprisonment. The proceedings were reported on 19 May 2021.

Karaczyn, 35, of Crozon Park, Sligo, had pleaded guilty to manslaughter but not guilty to murdering his wife on 29 April 2018. The jury’s verdict was agreed by 10 of 11 jurors after two days of deliberations.

The trial heard that Natalia wanted to separate from her husband and wanted him out of their home. Karaczyn claimed she had provoked him to such an extent that he lost all self-control, and argued that he should be found guilty of manslaughter rather than murder.