Mysterious Death Case of a Woman Who Fell on a Bottle Throat Sent for Review: A Story of Domestic Violence and Justice Struggle

A family from the Moscow region is confronting the same problem of impunity for domestic violence crimes as the loved ones of Saltanat Nukenova.

The tragic case of Saltanat Nukenova, who was killed by her husband Kuandyk Bishimbaev, has brought global attention to the pervasive issue of domestic abuse. People worldwide are closely following the court proceedings to see what punishment the former Kazakh Minister of National Economy will receive.

Meanwhile, similar stories are emerging online, revealing the harsh realities women face at the hands of abusive spouses. On the YouTube channel "Elena Pogrebizhskaya Films," a video was released about a man who killed his wife, but the court ruled it as "involuntary manslaughter."

The victim, 47-year-old Natalia, was the mother of the film’s protagonist Ekaterina, and the perpetrator was her stepfather, Gennady. For three years, Ekaterina has described her life as a living hell, fighting to prove Gennady’s guilt. She has drawn parallels between her mother's death and Bishimbaev’s case, where no help was given to Saltanat after she was beaten.

"On December 19, 2021, my sister called me saying our mother was unwell at the country house. She had fallen down the stairs. Since we live close by, I arrived within five minutes," recalls Ekaterina.

At that time, Gennady told her over the phone that Natalia had fallen from a small ladder, hitting her throat on a bottle. While performing artificial respiration, he admitted to leaving bruises on her body. He feared the police might suspect him of strangling her.

In recent times, Natalia and Gennady had a strained relationship, but on the day before her death, they had gone together to the country house for a birthday party with mutual friends.

"According to him, our mother was ill all day, stumbling around the house, hitting her face, and was in an incoherent state. Later, she decided to clean up. He stepped out for 15 minutes, and upon return, found her dead near the stairs," Ekaterina shares.

Gennady claimed he found Natalia blocked by skis, saying she slipped on them while going upstairs, fell down, got stuck on the railings with a boot, and hit a bottle. However, the local officer noted severe disorder in the house, resembling a struggle. Natalia was found lying unnaturally near the stairs, covered in bruises. Despite this, the police accepted Gennady’s story. Ekaterina immediately doubted it.

Ekaterina obtained permission for exhumation. The forensic examination revealed far more injuries than initially reported: "He beat her, abused her after killing her, and tried to stage it as an accident."

Natalia married Gennady in 2008. Before their daughter Ekaterina was born, the couple had an on-and-off relationship, with Gennady returning to his ex-wife multiple times. "After the birth of Liza, they lived together continuously. After Mom died, he went back to that woman," Ekaterina explains.

The film’s protagonist describes her stepfather as aggressive, often raising his voice and causing conflicts. As Ekaterina grew up and moved out, she minimized contact with him.

In 2021, shortly before Natalia’s death, she informed Gennady she wanted a divorce. Their relationship had deteriorated significantly over the past three years. Ekaterina believes this led to the fatal crime.

After the tragedy, friends of the deceased provided investigators with screenshots of threatening messages Natalia had forwarded to them.

"Mom received threats while alive. Her friends sent me screenshots of messages from unknown numbers. Mom suspected Gennady was behind them," Ekaterina says.

Investigations confirmed Gennady authored the messages, which he admitted, citing jealousy over Natalia’s late work hours and communications.

Natalia frequently complained about seeing her husband’s car near her workplace. Gennady stopped his weekend trips to the country house to monitor her activities. Besides stalking, he installed a listening device in her car and hacked her messaging apps to read her conversations.

Ekaterina was shocked that her mother was buried quickly on December 24, without a thorough investigation: "Her face was bruised and swollen. People at the funeral were shocked by her appearance despite makeup. She had a bruise on her forehead and one side of her face was blue. Her hands were battered with dried blood and abrasions."

On the fateful day, December 19, Natalia stopped responding after 11 a.m. Her death was reported at 6 p.m., but the exact time of death remained undetermined.

According to Ekaterina, the day after the death, Gennady’s main concern was where Natalia kept her money: "A friend called him to ask what happened, and his first question was, 'Do you know where Natasha kept her money at home?' He seemed more worried about money than his wife’s death."

Three months after the funeral, with the help of a lawyer, Ekaterina secured exhumation. The initial forensic report noted only three facial injuries – forehead and cheekbone. However, the exhumation revealed additional wounds on her back, arms, and legs: "It became clear she did not fall from the stairs. She was beaten with a blunt object. The cause of death was head trauma."

Despite this, Gennady was not detained and maintained that Natalia inflicted injuries on herself. Only after a year did Ekaterina succeed in initiating a proper investigation and having Gennady arrested. The charges were upgraded to "intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm." However, he was released after a few months.

"Before New Year, they released him and downgraded the charges back to 'involuntary manslaughter' because he claimed he only lightly pushed her with his fingers, causing a back bruise," Ekaterina explains.

In a subsequent trial, Gennady changed his testimony, stating he had a conflict with Natalia while cleaning the first floor of the country house. He was sentenced to two years of corrective labor, but the sentence has not yet taken effect as Ekaterina has filed an appeal: "He is not in custody yet. Essentially, he will be doing community service. The statute of limitations for the case under Article 109 has expired, so he might avoid punishment. We are still awaiting the court's decision."

Ekaterina remains determined to seek justice and ensure law enforcement properly holds the perpetrator accountable for this murder.

Photos: video footage

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