Detainee in murder of Australian girl Shanae Brooke Edwards denied bail

The next trial date is scheduled for November 1. Photo: IPN.

Agenda.ge, 10 Sep 2021 - 18:36, Tbilisi,Georgia

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 prosecutor's office charged Mursakulov with armed robbery and intentional homicide earlier today which is punishable by 16-20 years in prison or life imprisonment.

Mursakulov was arrested on September 8 after police examined DNA samples, video footage from CCTV cameras in the extended area of the crime scene and questioned more than 200 individuals.

The next trial date is scheduled for November 1. 

Shanae Brooke Edwards went missing on July 30 afternoon after going hiking in Mtatsminda park in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi; she was found dead on July 31.

She was an English teacher who had been living in Georgia for about two years.