Murder accused said partner came at him with knife and it 'accidentally' went into her

Fiona Magennis

A man accused of murdering his partner, who died from stab wounds at their home, told gardaí in interview that she came at him with a knife during an argument, but "accidentally", the knife went into her, a jury has heard.

Daniel Blanaru (37), who denies murdering Larisa Serban (26) in Rathmore, Athboy, Co Meath, also told gardaí during his initial interview: “I don’t care that I’m going to be in for 100 years” before adding: “If she’s not here then I cannot live anymore”.

The jury at the Central Criminal Court on Tuesday continued viewing video footage of Mr Blanaru’s first interview in Ashbourne Garda Station with Detective Sergeant Mark Looby and Detective Garda Padraig O’Rourke on August 12th, 2022.

In the interview, Mr Blanaru, speaking through a Romanian interpreter, said Larisa always kept a knife in her bag. Asked why she kept a knife, Mr Blanaru said it was “to protect” herself.

Mr Blanaru initially confirmed to gardaí that he did not see Larisa with a knife on the night. He said he didn’t look in her bag, but he was thinking the knife “was in there”.

When gardaí asked the accused to take his time, as they wanted to clarify a few things, Mr Blanaru said: “I don’t care that I’m going to be in for 100 years. I care about my kids because if she’s not here, then I cannot live anymore.”

The trial heard on Monday that Mr Blanaru told gardaí that he “pushed” and “hit” Larisa during an argument after he claimed he found her having a party with her brother David Serban and another “tall guy” hours before she was found stabbed to death in her home.

Mr Blanaru told officers he couldn’t “remember exactly” when he left his home that night but he thought it was around 1am.

He said he went to his sister’s home in Drogheda and then spoke to his brother Leon, asking him to go to his house and “check what was happening there”.

He said his sister’s husband told him to go to the guards. When the detectives questioned why his brother-in-law had told him to do this, Mr Blanaru said: “Because I kind of got scared”.

Pressed by the detective to tell the truth, a prolonged silence ensued before Mr Blanaru said he wanted to see his children.

“They don’t have a mother, they don’t have a father now. They have no love. We lost everything. What’s the point of living?” he said.

When questioned further about what happened at the property in Rathmore, Mr Blanaru said that Larisa “started swearing” at him, and then David approached them. “I don’t know if he had something in his hand,” he said. “I turned around, I don’t know what he had in his hand, I don’t think it was a knife.”

Mr Blanaru said the tall guy who was also present in the house was sitting down in a different part of the room. He said David approached, Mr Blanaru turned away and when he turned back Larisa put her hand on her chest and said “owh”.

“I didn’t see any blood or anything like that,” he added.

Asked by detectives to clarify who had something in his hand, Mr Blanaru said: “David had something” but said he wasn’t sure what it was.

The accused said the next thing he knew he was at the door with David.

“I said wait, don’t worry about it I’m going to go, and I took my car, and I went and when I got to Drogheda I called,” he said. “I took [his sister] Simona’s phone, and I called [his brother] Leon to go there and check because it’s a party and I had a fight with them, that’s all.”

He said that when he left, Larisa was sitting down near the corner in the living room.

“You can blame me for everything because I don’t know; I was drunk, I can’t remember everything. And I smoked as well,” the accused told gardaí.

“When there’s an argument and there’s many people, and when it’s everything happening at the same time, you are confused. That’s where the problem is.”

He went on: “Because God is up there, and one day he’s going to judge. But I’m not saying that anybody is guilty because that’s no good.”

As the interview was being read back to him, Mr Blanaru interjected and then told gardaí that Larisa came at him with a knife.

Asked to explain, Mr Blanaru said: “When she was upset and she came towards me that’s what I think and I was upset too. Maybe she wanted to use the knife to stab me, I don’t know, but accidentally…it happened to her.”

He continued: “I’m just thinking maybe it’s possible that that could happen.”

The accused said Larisa was “coming towards me”, and when she approached, he turned and “that was a mistake”.

When the detectives expressed confusion about what he was trying to say, Mr Blanaru demonstrated how he was standing with his back to Larisa. He said she had the knife in her right hand and as he turned around towards her the knife went into her and she said “owh”.

Asked by Det Sgt Looby if he saw the knife in Larisa’s hand, Mr Blanaru said: “Yes I did”.

The trial continues on Wednesday before Ms Justice Eileen Creedon and an enlarged jury of 11 men and four women.