A MAN WHO MURDERED A FAMILY FRIEND IN HER SLEEP BEFORE COMMITTING SEXUAL OFFENCES ON HER BODY JAILED FOR AT LEAST 26 YEARS
Warning: This story contains extremely disturbing content.In August 2024, Ernestas Juska, aged 21, carried out the murder of Nina Denisova, 39, while she was sleeping in a spare room at his mother's house in Dartford, Kent.
After the attack, Juska left the property and walked to a nearby bus stop, where he asked a member of the public to contact police, explaining that he had just committed a murder.
At Maidstone Crown Court on Friday, experts testified that Juska's exposure to violent pornography had an 'extreme impact' on his mental state.
Mr Justice Dexter Dias KC stated that it 'cannot be a coincidence' that Juska intended to 'try' having sex with a corpse after viewing pornography that depicted death, rape, and bestiality.
The judge sentenced Juska to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 26 years, deducting the time he had already spent in custody on remand.
In his remarks, Mr Justice Dias said: 'I have no doubt that the last moments of Nina Denisova’s life were lived in extreme, unexpected, and undeserved horror.' The court heard that Juska had spent the evening socialising at his home with his mother and some friends, including Ms Denisova.
Earlier that evening, he had taken cocaine and consumed alcohol when his mother criticised him for his unemployment.
Following this, Ms Denisova went to bed.
The judge noted that Juska had contemplated killing someone but chose not to target his mother or sister, knowing Ms Denisova was in the house sleeping.
Between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m., Juska obtained the largest kitchen knife and went to Ms Denisova's room, as described by the prosecution.
He stabbed her in the neck; although she did not die instantly, she struggled as he covered her mouth and stabbed her through the eyes, then in the abdomen and chest.
According to police, he later stated he 'didn't feel anything' during his last attack.
Juska was also given a two-year sentence, to run concurrently, for the sexual assault of a corpse.
Ms Denisova, who arrived in the UK from Lithuania in 2006, was described by her brother in court as a 'very calm and positive person' who enjoyed giving gifts.
Her family expressed their everlasting grief and confusion over her brutal killing, stating, 'We can never forgive him for what he's done, and we will never be able to understand why he did what he did that sad day.' Present at the court were her father and brother, who listened during the two-day sentencing process.
Mr Justice Dias wrapped up by emphasising: 'I agree with the assessment of the Kent Police.
This was a murder involving acts of almost unimaginable depravity.'
