Moment jealous husband, 31, ‘bear hugs’ estranged wife in the street as he leads her into his flat before he stabbed her to death in ‘terrifying’ attack and kept body in his bedroom for four days – as killer is jailed for life
- Pawel Chmielecki, 40, murdered Marta Chmielecka after escorting her to his flat
- He stabbed her in the throat after she refused to rekindle their relationship
This is the moment a jealous husband ‘bear hugs’ his estranged wife in the street before taking her to his flat where he stabbed her 32 times and kept her body in his bedroom.
Pawel Chmielecki, 40, was today jailed for life after stabbing Marta Chmielecka, 31, in the throat after she refused to rekindle their relationship before wrapping her body in a blood-stained duvet.
Police were alerted by her family after they received suspicious text messages suggesting someone else was using her phone.
Officers raided a terraced property in Wood Street, Kettering, Northamptonshire, where Chmielecki was staying, on October 19 2021.
They found her body in a bedroom and Chmielecki lying alongside Marta’s body bleeding heavily from up to nine self-inflicted knife wounds to his throat. He was rushed to hospital where he was treated for his injuries before he was charged with murder.
Video footage released by Northamptonshire Police today showed the Polish national leaving home and ‘intercepting’ his wife as she walked nearby, followed by a struggle between them and her coughing as she seemed unsteady on her feet.
Video footage released by Northamptonshire Police today showed the Polish national leaving home and ‘intercepting’ his wife while she was out for drinks
Pawel Chmielecki (pictured), 40, was today jailed for life after stabbing his estranged wife 32 times before keeping her body in his bedroom for nearly four days
Marta Chmielecka (pictured) was found dead after officers forced entry to Chmielecki’s house in Kettering, Northamptonshire
The footage also showed the killer visiting a shop to buy six cans of beer two days after the murder.
Sentencing, His Honour Judge David Herbert KC said: It’s clear from the evidence that Marta was scared of you and was frightened you would end up killing her.
‘Those last moments of her life would have been utterly terrifying, as you stabbed her repeatedly in the neck.
‘You accept you intended to kill her and must then have watched her die lying in a pool of her own blood.
‘The only sentence that can be imposed for the offence of murder is life imprisonment, and that is what I impose on you.’
Marta’s family Iistened from the public gallery as the judge sentenced Chmielecki, who wore a grey Nike tracksuit and gold chain in the dock, via a Polish interpreter.
The court heard the couple wed in Poland and moved to the UK in 2017 but Chmielecki had subjected his wife to domestic abuse.
Detectives found he was a ‘jealous, controlling man’ who had also stalked, made threats and been violent towards Marta since the end of their relationship.
The court was told she was ‘starting to enjoy life again’ and was coming out of her shell before her ex-husband fatally attacked her.
Ms Chmielecka (pictured) married Chmielecki in 2017 but he subjected her to domestic abuse
On Friday, October 15, Marta had spent the evening socialising with friends before leaving on foot at around 10.40pm.
CCTV from the area revealed she encountered Chmielecki and before some sort of struggle broke out between them, with Marta ending up on the floor.
Afterwards she was visibly unsteady on her feet, with Chmielecki at one point appearing to hold her up in a bear-hug as they approached his home.
He later admitted he had stabbed her to death in his room with a knife used to cut up his pizza after confronting her about her forming new relationships.
A post-mortem showed Marta had suffered 32 sharp force injuries – seven to her right hand, five to her shoulders and upper arm, one to the left breast and 19 to her face and neck.
A combination of the stab wounds to her neck were the direct cause of her death.
Further CCTV analysis of his movements between the night Marta entered his room and the day her body was discovered showed Chmielecki going out to buy cans of beer and a soft drinks before returning to his address.
Detective Superintendent Joe Banfield, of Northants Major Crime Unit, said: ‘Marta Chmielecka was a much-loved young woman looking forward to a bright future, which was extinguished by the violent actions of a jealous man.’
‘Pawel Chmielecki did not want to accept the end of his relationship with Marta, and remained in contact with her despite her attempts to distance herself from him.
‘Tragically for Marta, Chmielecki’s efforts to maintain a hold over her culminated in his ferocious fatal attack, after which he stayed with her body in his room for almost four days, before he attempted to take his own life as police arrived.’
He went on to say that while he admitted his crime, Chmielecki refused to cooperate throughout the trial, and attempting to ‘control the court process by initially denying he had previously been physically abusive towards Marta’.
Pictured are tributes and flowers laid outside the property on Wood street in Kettering where Ms Chmielecka was murdered
‘For the sake of her loving family, who remain devastated by her death, I am glad Chmielecki now accepts his guilt on this as well, and I’m pleased to see him receive this significant prison term
‘Nothing can bring Marta back, or alleviate the pain of her loss, but I hope her loved ones and friends can take some small comfort from knowing the man responsible has been brought to account for his awful crime.’
In a statement after sentencing, Marta’s family said: ‘Marta was exceptional. She was full of life, kind, cheerful, helpful and smart. You never had to ask for her help, she was always just there for us, whatever we needed.
‘She loved our children and was a fantastic aunty to them both. Marta was definitely a daddy’s girl too, they had such a strong bond and loving relationship.
‘After her death, her father began stuttering and now finds it very hard to communicate. He has really suffered, we all have.
A post-mortem showed Ms Chmielecka (pictured) had suffered 32 sharp force injuries – seven to her right hand, five to her shoulders and upper arm, one to the left breast and 19 to her face and neck
‘Marta had so many plans and dreams. She was independent and confident. We all loved her so much.
‘It is never going to be the same without her. Losing Marta has changed our whole lives.
‘He has taken Marta away from so many people who loved her. She loved our children and he took her away from them, from them having a relationship with her.
‘He deprived them of their aunty. He deprived us of our sister. He deprived our parents of their child.
‘Our elder daughter knows Marta is with the angels, but our youngest doesn’t remember her because she was only one when she died.
‘We were a really close family – we don’t have any other family here, we only had Marta. So, we would mark every celebration together – Christmas, birthdays, everything.
‘Things are just completely different now. It’s hard to describe.
‘When Marta died, something beyond her died as well and none of us will ever be the same. We miss her every day.’
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