Halyna Hoisan, 29, was being stalked by her ex-partner Yurii Muzyka who she had reported to the police
A monster stabbed his ex-partner to death in Greenwich days before their daughter’s fourth birthday. Yurii Muzyka, 34, also filmed a ‘selfie video’ near the body after the horrific attack.
The victim, 29-year-old Halyna Hoisan, known as Lina, had been in a “turbulent” relationship with Muzyka for several years The Mirror reports. Previously in court, jurors were told she had reported him to police for violence, harassment and stalking.
He in turn made counter-allegations against her but was subject to a non-molestation order. On August 27 of last year he forced his way into Ms Hoisan’s flat in Greenwich, south London.
Undeterred by the presence of their three-year-old daughter, Muzyka stabbed her six times in the chest. He then took photographs of Ms Hoisan as she lay dying before plunging the knife into his stomach after a man she had been on a second date with ran to alert police.
Following a trial at the Old Bailey, Muzyka, a Ukrainian national from New Malden, south London, was found guilty of murder and possession of a blade. Sentencing him on Friday to life in prison with a minimum term of 30 years, Judge Simon Mayo KC said it was a “planned and sustained” attack on a “much-loved” mother in her own home.
He told Muzyka: “You stabbed her six times to the chest using a knife that you had purchased less than six hours earlier. Shortly beforehand, you conducted internet searches directed at identifying the most vulnerable areas of the human body, including the chest.
“I am sure you intended to kill her. In killing Halyna, you robbed her young daughter of her mother just days before her fourth birthday.
“You knew your child would be present in the flat when you arrived. That knowledge did not deter you.
“That is a matter of particular gravity. I am sure your actions were driven by jealousy, resentment and determination to exert control over Halyna even after your relationship had come to an end.”
The judge said Muzyka had entered his former partner’s home armed with a knife and metal chisel using “stealth” and “subterfuge”. He described the act of photographing Ms Hoisan as she lay dying as “degrading and intrusive”, and said a selfie video capturing her final moments had caused “incalculable” distress to her family.
It was also reported that Ms Hoisan moved to Greenwich to escape him, however discovered a tracking device in her daughter’s scooter after Muzyka told her he knew which park she visited. She handed the tracker to police and also reported that he had stolen her phone from her home.
Last August, Muzyka phoned Ms Hoisan’s mother, Svitlana, in Poland and threatened to kill her daughter. Seven days before the murder, Ms Hoisan secured a non-molestation order against him.
On the day of the killing, Muzyka bought a knife and recorded a number of videos on his phone in which he told his mother he “just can’t bear it” and accused his former partner of “sleeping around”. The court heard Ms Hoisan had just begun a new relationship and was on a second date with a man when Muzyka burst into her home and attacked her.
After the killing, Muzyka was taken to hospital for surgery on his self-inflicted wound. When arrested two days later, he told police: “I can’t believe my partner have sex with another boy.”
Investigators found evidence on his mobile phone showing an obsession with spyware, masks, knives and human anatomy. He had searched these topics repeatedly and had 10 images of spyware, 44 of masks, 186 of the chest and heart, and 261 of knives.
Muzyka denied murder and claimed he had lost control, but this was rejected by the jury. During the sentencing hearing, Ms Hoisan’s mother, Svitlana, became angry and tearful as she addressed Muzyka in Ukrainian in court.
In her victim impact statement, she said: “The death of my daughter has had a profound impact on me. I cannot comprehend how one person can do something like this to another human being.
“I still cannot believe she is gone. I constantly think how much she suffered and the fear she must have experienced before her death.”
Muzyka hung his head in the dock and appeared to wipe away his tears.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Franklin, from Scotland Yard, said: “Halyna’s murder was an appalling act of cruelty. Muzyka robbed a child of her devoted mother and parents of a loving daughter. Detectives worked tirelessly to bring Muzyka to justice and the successful conviction highlights the Met’s commitment to bringing dangerous men to justice and tackling violence against women and girls.”
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