The jury in the trial in Brussels of Natalia Kaznatcheeva, accused of murdering her French partner, Roland Oswald, in Schaerbeek, listened on Friday to explanations provided by the first experts sent to the crime scene, Belga news agency reports.
The body of Oswald, who was in his 70s, had been found on the corridor of Kaznatcheeva’s apartment on 15 November 2019 at about 9 pm. The victim’s nose had been cut off and there were six other wounds, inflicted with a sharp instrument, on his semi-nude body. Photos taken at the crime scene on the evening of the murder were reviewed.
The various parties sought on Friday, Day Two of the trial, to determine, based on the examination of bloodstains, whether the door of the accused was open or closed when the wounds were inflicted.
The defense maintained that there were few bloodstains in the apartment and that there was a risk of contamination. The prosecution, for its part, noted that a bloodstain had been cleaned from a wall and that a nearby sponge bore traces of blood.
Prosecutors further pointed out that the victim’s computer was present in the apartment, and that his underwear was bloodstained. Chemical reactions attesting to the presence of blood were observed on two knives.
The accused’s clothing found in her washing machine at the end of the inspection of the premises also raised many questions.
DNA expert analyses to be explained on Monday should provide answers to some of the questions, Belga reported.
