Rita Gorgonova case

First trial

The prosecution prepared their version of events:

  • Gorgonova was angry at Elzbieta because she told her father about Rita seeing other men when he was away,
  • Zaremba planned to end their relationship and move out with his children and leave Gorgonova in the house, murder took place only few days prior to planned removal,
  • she killed Elzbieta using the pickaxe, opened the window to suggest that someone entered the house from outside, also to drag the suspicion from herself she deflowered Elzbieta using her finger,
  • when she left the room she hit the dog to keep him quiet,
  • when howl of the dog brought Stas around she has hidden behind the Christmas tree,
  • later she broke the glass, dropped the pickaxe into pond and entered the house through other veranda.


They also prepared strong, but circumstantial, evidence that were questioned by the defence:

  • Stas noticed figure in the living room and recognized her as Rita Gorgonova (although in his previous statements he said that first he thought it was his sister and even called her by her name),
  • Stas stated that earlier in the evening Gorgonova was wearing different nightgown, so she must have changed after the murder and thus there were no signs of blood or the feces when police arrived,
  • the window that was open in Elzbieta’s room was too small for anyone to come from outside,
  • the dog didn’t bark, so he must have known the person in the living room before he was knocked out,
  • the glass was broken where the figure was seen and Gorgonova had cuts on her hand (she explained that she must have injured herself when she went to the pond to get water for Elzbieta, but there was water even the room, so there was no point in going outside),
  • there was small amount of faeces on the floor in Elzbieta’s house and on Gorgonova’s fur coat (Gorgonova explained that the lavatory in the house was broken and she had to go outside).


First trial was short and Rita Gorgonova was sentenced to death. The evidence that was the key in this trial was the fact that Stas Zaremba did recognized Gorgonova as a figure in the living room.





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