Sister of Natalia Karaczyn told brother-in-law 'we forgive you' after he admitted killing her

The sister of mum-of-three Natalia Karaczyn has told a jury how she told her brother-in-law “we forgive you” after he admitted killing her.

Rafal Karaczyn (34), of Crozon Park, Sligo, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his 30-year-old wife Natalia Karaczyn, at their family home in Crozon Park between April 29, 2018 and May 1, 2018.

Natalia's sister Magdalena McMorrow, otherwise known as Magda, gave evidence at the Central Criminal Court yesterday, Wednesday, February 26. Two friends of Natalia, Aneta Cieciwa and Regina Zybala, also gave evidence.

Magda told the court that she was brought to Ballymote Garda Station on Wednesday, May 2, 2018, a day after Natalia’s body was found. She was in a room alone with Mr Karaczyn in the station when he told her “I did it, I did it”.

The court heard that Mr Karaczyn had previously told her that Natalia had got “messed up with the wrong people” and that “Travellers” had come to their house and put a gun to his head and threatened to put a gun to the heads of their three children if he didn’t leave a back window open to allow them come into the house and hurt Natalia. She said Mr Karaczyn told her he let the window open to allow them gain entry into the house and that he then found Natalia dead and brought her body to a forest.

When Mr Karaczyn told Magda that he killed Natalia in Ballymote Garda Station, she said the accused told her that he and Natalia had had an argument in the early hours of Sunday morning, April 29, 2018. The court has already heard that Natalia spent time with a man before she returned home from a night out that morning. It also heard that Natalia and Mr Karaczyn were separated for a year prior to her death but were still living in the same house. 

Magda said he told her that Natalia went into the box room of their home to get changed and to go to sleep that Sunday morning when he went after her to say “where were you?” and that she was pushing him out of the room. Magda said he walked into the room again and during their arguing “he grabbed her and strangled her”. Magda said he told her that he lay down with her on the mattress that was on the floor of the room for ten minutes afterwards. She said he then told her that he put her body in the boot of the car.

Reading from her statement to gardai, Michael Bowman SC, for Mr Karaczyn, put it to Magda that she told gardai: “He [Mr Karaczyn] said it was ‘my hands’. I said, ‘yes, but your mind and body wasn’t there’. I told him ‘we forgive him’. He said he will never forgive himself.” Asked to describe how Mr Karaczyn presented himself as he was speaking to her, she told Mr Bowman that his head was down and that he was crying.

The barrister put it to Magda that she earlier outlined an alleged incident to Bernard Condon SC, for the DPP, which she said Natalia told her about. The incident involved Mr Karaczyn getting upset at home and threatening to harm himself. Magda confirmed to Mr Bowman that this was a “single incident” and that, to the best of her knowledge, he never threatened Natalia or their children before.

As Mr Karaczyn didn’t have any family in Ireland, Magda told Mr Bowman: “We treated Rafal as part of our family.” She said Magda wasn’t happy in the relationship and that she was very independent in herself. Natalia didn’t feel that she had to continue in the relationship if she wasn’t happy, Magda said.

Mr Bowman put it to Magda that her sister had “grown tired” of the fact that Mr Karaczyn had “difficulties accepting that she was no longer in love with him”. Magda said that she told Mr Karaczyn that Natalia was no longer in love with him. She said: “He was nearly delusional, saying she will get back with him and that she will love him as she had loved him before.” “He was hopelessly in love with her?” Mr Bowman suggested, to which Magda replied: “He was in love with her, yes.”

Aneta Cieciwa, a friend of Natalia’s, told the court that she, Natalia and another friend went to the see The Quiet Place in the cinema  on the night of Saturday, April 28, 2018. Aneta said she was driving that night and they all went to The Garavogue Bar after the cinema. Aneta said she stayed until around midnight. “I said goodbye, kissed them and went,” she said, adding that Natalia and her friend were dancing when she left.

The next morning, Aneta said she went to 9.30am Mass in Strandhill and later received messages from Mr Karaczyn, in which he asked if she knew where Natalia was as she had not returned home the night before.

Regina Zybala, also a friend of Natalia’s, told the court that she wasn’t out with Natalia that Saturday night but she did received a Snapchat photograph from Natalia and her friends while they were in the cinema. This was the last contact she had with Natalia, Regina said.

The court heard that the next day, Regina also received texts from Mr Karaczyn in which he expressed concerns about the whereabouts of his wife. One text said: “Nobody knows anything. I’m getting nervous.”

The trial continues before Ms Justice Eileen Creedon and a jury of seven women and five men.

Also read: Sister of Natalia Karaczyn tells jury of moment her brother-in-law told her he killed her