Police say motive for mid-summer murder of Australian citizen Shanae Brooke Edwards in Tbilisi was robbery
Shanae Brooke Edwards was murdered in central Tbilisi at the end of July while she was on hike.
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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.
The Prosecutor's Office said that Mursakulov attacked Brooke Edwards in central Tbilisi at about 16:00 on July 30 to take away her personal belongings.
The Prosecutor’s Office said that Shanae Brooke Edwards had an injury on her neck and that she had been strangled.
Mursakulov took her belongings and tried to conceal the crime. He covered the body with twigs and threw away a knife,” said the Chief Prosecutor’s Office.
Mursakulov dies accusations against him.
Mursakulov was arrested on September 8 and denies the allegations against him and is using his right to silence.
The Georgian Interior Ministry has stated that more than 200 individuals have been questioned in the investigation.
Investigators have also found the weapon used in the crime – a knife in damaged condition at the crime scene.
All the evidence, including DNA samples, point at the guilt of the detainee,” said the ministry.
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 had come to Georgia about two years ago.
The Georgian government will cover the transportation expenses of her body to Australia.
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.
Local Rustavi 2 TV has reported that Georgian citizen Rafael Mursakulovi is the man who was detained for Australian citizen Shanae Brooke Edwards' murder. Reportedly, Mursakulovi lives on the same Gogebashvili street in Vera district where the Australian woman lived before she was found dead in late July.
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.
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’.
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.