Ivana accused of murdering her daughters: secret wedding, abortion and allegations against husband
At the Specialised Criminal Court, Ivana (33) testified about years of life together with Michal, a secret wedding and serious concerns about her husband's behaviour towards their daughters.
Woman accused of murdering daughters' testimony reveals years of conflict and suspicion
Nový Čas reports that proceedings continued at the Specialised Criminal Court in the case of the murder of five-year-old Melánia and two-year-old Bela. The accused mother Ivana (33) during the last hearing on Wednesday, 2 September, gave an extensive testimony in which she described years of her relationship with her husband Michal — from first meetings through a secret wedding to serious accusations of sexually inappropriate behaviour towards their children.
Residents of Hrachová Street in Bratislava still recall the case with horror. According to the prosecution, the girls were killed in an exceptionally cruel manner by their own mother.
From first love to secret wedding
"I was very much in love with Milan Fuzák," begins Ivana's testimony, which the prosecution presented in the form of an email found on the accused's mobile phone. The relationship with Michal, according to her, was accompanied by complications from the start — her parents did not initially approve of him, and it broke up and resumed several times. After a year, when Ivana was supposed to be enjoying her freedom, she began secretly meeting Michal at a time when he was supposed to have another girlfriend.
Later he reportedly gave her a ring. A pregnancy followed, but Ivana claims that Michal and his mother pressured her into an abortion. "I was very sad about it," she describes. During the same period, her grandmother died. Ivana recalls a time full of chaos and sadness, when she lived on a disability pension.
The wedding, which Ivana had long desired, eventually took place — but in secret. Michal did not want it, according to her account, and his relatives did not approve either. When they announced the news to the family, her mother-in-law was reportedly extremely offended.
Holidays and increasing tension
The married couple travelled on holidays, often in the company of deaf friends — Ivana is herself deaf. During a stay in Paris, she reportedly experienced unpleasant situations: Michal refused intimate contact and according to her account even forbade her from dyeing her hair.
Ivana also describes other tensions in the household. Michal was reportedly unemployed and in a fit of rage threw their dog Alba out in hot weather because she was disobedient according to him. Later, the couple moved to Ružinov and found work.
Concerns about the father's behaviour towards Melánia
According to Ivana, a turning point came after the birth of their first daughter Melánia. The child reportedly refused to bathe with her father, did not want him to dress her and resisted going for walks with him. When Ivana asked her husband about the reason, he reportedly told her that he had shouted at and hit the daughter because she was not obeying him.
"I told him that was enough," Ivana states. A few days later, she was reportedly a witness to another disturbing situation: Michal was supposedly massaging naked Melánia on her back and buttocks. Ivana claims she asked him not to do this, but he reportedly repeated it.
When she later asked her husband for his mobile phone, she came across a photograph depicting the situation. "When I looked at the photos, I was shocked," she writes in her testimony. According to her claim, Michal also sent the photograph to a friend, and when she asked him about it, he told her that she was jealous of her own daughter. "I had concerns that his behaviour towards his own daughter was sexually inappropriate," Ivana states.
Second daughter and further incidents
Three years later, the couple had a second daughter, Bela. Michal stayed at home on parental leave with Melánia, whilst Ivana looked after the newborn Bela. During that time, she reportedly captured on camera footage Michal hitting Melánia whilst the child was crying. When she asked him if this was happening for a long time, he reportedly confirmed that it was — the reason being that he wanted to watch a film and the daughter was disturbing him.
Ivana further describes that her husband had long been ordering her around and monitoring her iPad. In one conflict, he reportedly even broke a children's table. "I am no longer who I was before. I am a mother and I am trying to protect my children," she writes.
Suspicions of infidelity and final accusations
In the conclusion of her testimony, Ivana describes circumstances that aroused her suspicion of infidelity. Michal supposedly claimed that he was working overtime at work, but according to the daughter's map he was supposedly located on a completely different street from where his work was supposed to be. When Ivana called him, he did not answer the phone. When he later responded, he was reportedly very out of breath.
Ivana's testimony comes in the context of the prosecution's case, according to which she herself is responsible for the death of both daughters. Proceedings at the Specialised Criminal Court continue.
Source: Nový Čas