Suspect in Valentina death case questioned in Vâlcea: invoked right to silence
Vlad Bălțățeanu, under investigation for the murder of the young woman found in the Olt River, refused to give statements to prosecutors. The man had been brought from Switzerland under escort.
Bălțățeanu brought to Vâlcea Tribunal following extradition from Switzerland
Vlad Bălțățeanu, the main suspect in Valentina's death case, appeared before prosecutors at the Prosecutor's Office attached to Vâlcea Tribunal for the first time, according to ProTV News. The 30-year-old man, under investigation for the murder of the 28-year-old woman, arrived at the tribunal escorted by police officers, shortly after 10 a.m.
The questioning lasted only a few minutes. The suspect invoked the right to silence and refused to answer the investigators' questions, according to judicial sources. He was removed from the hearing room also under escort and taken back into custody. Both on arrival and on departure, Bălțățeanu kept his hood up, looking down, without responding to journalists present.
The investigators sought to establish what happened on the night Valentina died and what route the suspect took in fleeing Romania. The victim's family lawyer also participated in the hearing via videoconference.
The murder case file contains several pieces of evidence gathered by investigators: traces from the flat where the victim lived together with the suspect, recordings from surveillance cameras, the suitcase in which the young woman's body was discovered in the Olt River, as well as other evidence material.
After Valentina's death, Bălțățeanu left Romania with the help of a friend, first travelling to Hungary and then to Switzerland. Romanian police issued a general arrest warrant in his name. On 29 September, the man surrendered to the Swiss authorities and was transferred to Romania under escort.
Source: Știrile ProTV