A 21-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison for the brutal murder of a sleeping family friend and subsequent sexual assault of her body in a case that has shocked the community.
The Fatal Attack
Ernestas Juska, from Dartford in Kent, pleaded guilty to murdering 39-year-old Nina Denisova in August 2024 after a party at his mother's house. The court heard that Juska stabbed the sleeping woman multiple times in the face, neck, and chest with a large, blunt kitchen knife.
Maidstone Crown Court was told that Juska had consumed significant amounts of cocaine and alcohol that evening and had been criticized by his mother for being unemployed. Prosecutor Danny Moore KC stated that the 20-year-old at the time wanted to "lash out" at someone and chose Ms Denisova, who had gone to sleep in an upstairs bedroom.
Court Proceedings and Sentencing
The court heard disturbing details of the attack, revealing that Ms Denisova was woken up by being stabbed in the neck. "She did not die, and she began to struggle," added Mr Moore. "He put his hands over her mouth. He then stabbed her."
After the attack, Juska walked to a nearby bus stop and asked a passerby to call the police, confessing that he had just killed someone. He later told police he "felt nothing" after the violent assault.
Judge Mr Justice Dias sentenced Juska to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 26 years, describing the victim's last moments as lived in "extreme, unexpected and undeserved horror." The judge noted that Juska's consumption of violent pornography had an "extreme impact" on him.
Impact and Aftermath
The victim's brother, Aleksandras, told the court that Ms Denisova's death had left a "big hole" and had an "indescribable" impact on the family. "We can never forgive him for what he's done," he said in a statement. "We will never be able to understand why he did what he did that sad day."
Ms Denisova was described as a "happy and hard-working" person who had come to the UK from Lithuania for a better life. Det Sgt Max Gregory called the crime an "act of shocking and senseless brutality, seemingly without reason or any hint of remorse."
Defence lawyer Beth O'Reilly KC told the court her client was emotionally frozen, hopeless, and helpless, and expressed that he was sorry for his actions, though she acknowledged the comments might have rung hollow to those in court.
