A man and woman have been sentenced to life imprisonment after murdering her partner in their South Yorkshire home
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Sheffield Crown Court heard today, December 31, how following a trial Indre Barysaite, aged 30, of Denman Street, Eastwood, Rotherham, was found guilty of the murder of her fiance Zygimantas Kromelys after he was discovered by police lying wounded at their shared property on Denman Street, Eastwood, Rotherham.
Housemate Dimitrijus Jakimovas, aged 33, also of Denman Street, was also found guilty by the jury of the murder of 26-year-old Mr Kromelys.
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Hide AdPolice bodycam footage showed officers and paramedics arriving at the property during the evening of November 10, 2019, where Lithuanian national Mr Kromelys was found on the kitchen floor in the arms of Barysaite and Jakimovas was standing nearby.
Mr Justice Nicholas Lavender told the defendants: “One of you stabbed Mr Kromelys through the heart when the three of you were alone together in the home you shared in Rotherham.”
He added it is not known who used the knife but Mr Justice Lavender believes one of them had encouraged the stabbing though neither explained why it happened.
Barysaite had claimed someone had come to the property and stabbed her partner and two men ran away before Mr Kromelys went to the kitchen and fell, and Jakimovas told police he had been in the kitchen.
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Hide AdBut Barysaite later claimed her partner, who allegedly had self-harming issues, appeared to have stabbed himself after Mr Kromelys and Jakimovas had been drinking and after Mr Kromelys had a dispute with two visitors about a debt.
Barysaite claimed Mr Kromelys’s mood deteriorated before she claimed he came into the kitchen and struck himself in the chest.
She admitted she lied to police that two men were responsible because she claimed she was concerned about the shame for Mr Kromelys’s family.
Jakimovas claimed he compressed the wound and Barysaite said she phoned Lithuanian associates because she cannot speak English and did not know the 999 number.
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Hide AdThe court heard Barysaite had a history of self-harming after her daughter died, and she said Mr Kromelys was self-harming and had alcohol problems and claimed he once tried to drink acid, tried to hang himself and tried to cut his veins.
Jakimovas also claimed he thought Mr Kromelys had stabbed himself.
Gul Nawaz Hussain QC, defending, said the self-harming had been playing on Barysaite’s mind and Mr Kromelys’s alcohol problem had caused friction.
Kath Goddard QC, defending, added Jakimovas had consumed alcohol and the incident involved a “spontaneous act”.
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Hide AdMr Justice Lavender said Barysaite had been angry about Mr Kromelys’s drinking and Jakimovas had been heavily-intoxicated and had placed the knife in a sink in a perceived attempt to conceal evidence.
After considering time remanded in custody, he sentenced both Lithuanian-speaking defendants to life imprisonment and Jakimovas must serve 13 years and 132 days, and Barysaite must serve 12 years and 315 days before either can be considered for release.
Mr Kromelys’s sister Diana Vitkute said her family has been devastated.
She stated: “When I remember the day I learned my brother Zygimantas had been killed I found it inhumane and painful and a nightmare I no longer want to remember.”
