Story By Michael Leidig
News Editor Ajda Ender
A man who lured his ex-girlfriend to a flat by claiming their little dog was ill before killing her, stuffing her body into a suitcase and dumping it among wood and brambles has been jailed for life.
Picture shows victim Yana Malayko, 23, undated. Dumitru Stratan, the 36-year-old ex-boyfriend of Yana Malayko from Castiglione delle Stiviere, Italy was sentenced to life in prison. Note: Private photo. (Newsflash/NX)
Dumitru Stratan, 36, originally from Moldova, was handed a life sentence by the Court of Appeal in Brescia, Italy, after an earlier 20-year prison term was overturned.
Victim Yana Malayko, 23, and her ex-boyfriend Dumitru Stratan, 33, pose in undated photo. He reportedly killed her in community of Castiglione delle Stiviere, in Lombardy, Italy, in January 2023. Note: Private photo. (Newsflash)
Stratan was convicted of murdering 23-year-old Ukrainian Yana Malayko, who had grown up in Italy and was working as a waitress at a cafe-bar run by his sister.
Victim Yana Malayko, 23, poses in undated photo. She was reportedly killed by her ex-boyfriend Dumitru Stratan, 33, in the community of Castiglione delle Stiviere, in Lombardy, Italy, in January 2023. Note: Private photo. (Newsflash)
The killing took place in January 2023 in Castiglione delle Stiviere, a town in the northern Italian province of Mantua.
Image shows victim Yana Malayko, 23, in undated photo. She was reportedly killed by her ex-boyfriend Dumitru Stratan, 33, in the community of Castiglione delle Stiviere, in Lombardy, Italy, in January 2023. Note: Private photo. (Newsflash)
Prosecutors said Stratan had become obsessively jealous after Yana ended their three-year relationship and began seeing another man.
Victim Yana Malayko, 23, poses in undated photo. She was reportedly killed by her ex-boyfriend Dumitru Stratan, 33, in the community of Castiglione delle Stiviere, in Lombardy, Italy, in January 2023. Note: Private photo. (Newsflash)
He allegedly used their small dog as a pretext to get her to come to the flat, claiming the animal was unwell before attacking her inside.
Dumitru Stratan, 33, poses in undated photo. He allegedly killed his ex-girlfriend Yana Malayko, 23, in the community of Castiglione delle Stiviere, in Lombardy, Italy, in January 2023. Note: Private photo. (Newsflash)
Prosecutors said he beat her with a metal bar and then suffocated her with a pillow.
Dumitru Stratan, 33, poses in undated photo. He allegedly killed his ex-girlfriend Yana Malayko, 23, in the community of Castiglione delle Stiviere, in Lombardy, Italy, in January 2023. Note: Private photo. (Newsflash)
He then placed her body inside a suitcase and abandoned it in countryside between Castiglione delle Stiviere and Lonato, where it was hidden among branches, brambles and undergrowth.
Victim Yana Malayko, 23, poses in undated photo. She was reportedly killed by her ex-boyfriend Dumitru Stratan, 33, in the community of Castiglione delle Stiviere, in Lombardy, Italy, in January 2023. Note: Private photo. (Newsflash)
Her remains were discovered days later, sparking a nationwide investigation.
Victim Yana Malayko, 23, poses in undated photo. She was reportedly killed by her ex-boyfriend Dumitru Stratan, 33, in the community of Castiglione delle Stiviere, in Lombardy, Italy, in January 2023. Note: Private photo. (Newsflash)
Stratan initially denied planning the killing, but the court heard evidence suggesting otherwise, including claims he had disabled a building security camera and searched online for information linked to poisoning.
Dumitru Stratan, 33, poses in undated photo. He allegedly killed his ex-girlfriend Yana Malayko, 23, in the community of Castiglione delle Stiviere, in Lombardy, Italy, in January 2023. Note: Private photo. (Newsflash)
The appeal judges ruled the murder was premeditated, significantly increasing his sentence from 20 years to life imprisonment.
Victim Yana Malayko, 23, poses in undated photo. She was reportedly killed by her ex-boyfriend Dumitru Stratan, 33, in the community of Castiglione delle Stiviere, in Lombardy, Italy, in January 2023. Note: Private photo. (Newsflash)
Yana’s family were in court to hear the decision, reportedly breaking down in tears as the verdict was read.
Victim Yana Malayko, 23, poses in undated photo. She was reportedly killed by her ex-boyfriend Dumitru Stratan, 33, in the community of Castiglione delle Stiviere, in Lombardy, Italy, in January 2023. Note: Private photo. (Newsflash)
Her father, Oleksandr Malayko, said: “Justice has been done.”
Victim Yana Malayko, 23, poses in undated photo. She was reportedly killed by her ex-boyfriend Dumitru Stratan, 33, in the community of Castiglione delle Stiviere, in Lombardy, Italy, in January 2023. Note: Private photo. (Newsflash)
He later carried out a promise he made after his daughter’s death by cutting off his long beard, which he had grown until her killer received the harshest possible sentence.
Image shows the location where the body of victim Yana Malayko, 23, was found, undated photo. She was reportedly killed by her ex-boyfriend Dumitru Stratan, 33, in the community of Castiglione delle Stiviere, in Lombardy, Italy, in January 2023. Note: Photo is a screenshot from a video. (Newsflash)
Image shows the location where the body of victim Yana Malayko, 23, was found, undated photo. She was reportedly killed by her ex-boyfriend Dumitru Stratan, 33, in the community of Castiglione delle Stiviere, in Lombardy, Italy, in January 2023. Note: Photo is a screenshot from a video. (Newsflash)
A women’s rights group set up in Yana’s memory said the ruling sent a “clear message” against violence towards women.
(Mike Leidig/NF/NX)
