Detainee in murder case of Australian citizen Shanae Brooke Edwards denies accusations
Rafael Mursakulov (L) will be officially charged later today for murder of Australian citizen Shanae Brooke Edwards in Tbilisi.
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Rafael Mursakulov, who has been arrested by Georgian police for the murder of Australian citizen Shanae Brooke Edwards in central Tbilisi late July, denies the allegations against him, his lawyer has told journalists.
The lawyer says that the detainee had no acquaintance with Brooke Edwards and that he uses the right to silence.
Mursakulov, who is a citizen of Georgia living in Tbilisi, was arrested yesterday and he will be officially charged later today.
The Georgian Interior Ministry says that more than 200 individuals have been questioned and DNA samples of the suspect have been sent to 194 foreign states.
Shanae Brooke Edwards arrived in Georgia two years ago.
Investigators also found the weapon of the crime – the knife in the damaged condition at the crime scene.
All the evidence, including DNA samples, point at the guilt of the detainee,” said the ministry.
The ministry has not yet stated what could be the motive of the crime.
Local media agency Ambebi.ge has reported that Mursakulov lived on the same, Gogebashvili street in central Tbilisi, where Brooke Edwards lived and the motive behind the crime could be robbery.
Mursakulov wanted to grab her Ipone 12. However, Brooke Edwards threw it away,” said Ambebi.ge.
The agency claims that in the fight with Brooke Edwards Mursakulov cut his hand and police also found his blood stains at the crime scene.
A group of individuals gathered in central Tbilisi yesterday, following the reports on arrest, with candles, flowers and the sign.
Mursakov’s aunt ‘excludes’ his involvement in the crime. She says that Mursakov has a previous crime record for robbery.
She also told local media outlets that Mursakulov has been an activist of the ruling Georgian Dream party since 2012.
Ruling party MP Irakli Zarkua has stated that the opposition and opposition-minded TV channels are happy to say that the suspect was the ruling party activist.
We have thousands of members and supporters and the ruling party can not be responsible for their thoughts and behaviours,” Zarkua wrote on his Facebook page.
Shanae Brooke Edwards, who went missing on July 30 afternoon after going hiking in Mtatsminda park in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, was found dead on July 31.
She was an English teacher who came to Georgia about two years ago.
The crime is punishable by 7-15 years in prison.
Georgian law enforcers have arrested a 33-year-old man for the murder of Australian citizen Shanae Brooke Edwards in Tbilisi at the end of July. The Georgian Interior Ministry has stated that the Georgian citizen living in Tbilisi, identified only as R.M., was arrested yesterday. DNA samples taken from the murder scene and R.M. point to his involvement.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia has launched an investigation into the death of Australian citizen Shanae Brooke Edwards as intentional homicide.
Shanae Brooke Edwards, an Australian citizen, who had been missing since Friday afternoon after going hiking in Mtatsminda park in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, was found dead. Her friends wrote in Facebook late last night that ‘there was last a disturbing call from her while she was being attacked and screaming for help’.
Robbery has been named as the motive behind the murder of Australian teacher Shanae Brooke Edwards in Tbilisi in late July. The Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s Office stated earlier today that the suspect, Georgian citizen Rafel Mursakulov, has been charged with armed robbery and intentional homicide which is punishable by 16-20 years in prison or life imprisonment
Rafael Mursakulov, a Georgian citizen who has been detained for the murder of Australian national Shanae Brooke Edwards in Tbilisi in late July, has been denied bail by a Tbilisi court. Mursakulov made no statements at the court; his lawyer says that he is exercising his right to silence.
The family of Australian girl Shanae Brooke Edwards murdered in Tbilisi in late July, has released a statement urging the Georgian justice system to sentence Rafael Mursakulov, who stands accused of her murder, to life in prison. Shanae Brooke Edwards’s family has thanked the Georgian government for offering financial assistance for her repatriation and the Georgian people ‘for the continuous attention, love and support during this difficult tragic period.’
Rafael Mursakulov, a man charged for the murder of Australian citizen Shanae Brooke Edwards last year in Tbilisi, was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years in prison by Tbilisi City Court on Wednesday.