MONIKA Matraca stabbed her former boyfriend Michal Rejmer and allowed him bleed to death before hiding his body in the back garden of the house they shared in Castletroy.
Details of how the 38-year-old long distance runner met his death on January 8, 2016 were revealed at the inquest into his death at Limerick Coroner’s Court on Tuesday.
Witnesses told of how staff at the McDonalds restaurant in Castletroy grew concerned after he failed to turn up for work for several days. This was most unusual for a man that was always reliable, friendly and good humoured.
McDonald’s managers Helen Halpin and Thomas O’Connor told Coroner John McNamara that they had not heard from Michal in several days and when they called to the house he was not to be found.
Hel had been in a relationship with the then 38-year-old Monika Matracka and although they had broken up six months before his death, they continued sharing a house at The Pines, Briarfield, Castletroy.
Former colleagues recalled a quiet, kind and friendly man who was happy in his work.
However, that happy image was shattered after Michal’s body was found wrapped in bed linen and black plastic wrapping in the backgarden of his home.
Members of the Limerick Land Search team and a Polish friend had been searching the area near his home when they found Michal’s body hidden in the back garden. It partly mummified, wrapped in bed covering and black plastic and concealed near bags of turf.
Monika Matracka denied knowing anything about Michal’s whereabouts when she was repeatedly asked by friends. She finally confessed to his killing in the back of a Garda patrol car having made a missing person’s statement about the man she had killed.
Michal had been missing for up to ten days over the Christmas and New Year period.
State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy carried out a post-mortem examination and concluded that Michal Rejmer suffered extensive stab wounds to both arms and in some cases a large knife was used to slice and puncture his arms and muscles.
Professor Cassidy recorded some slice and stab wounds up to eight inches long.
There were puncture wounds to his lower back where the tip of a knife was used but she said that the majority of the wounds were defence type injuries.
“The damage caused to his muscles would have affected the use of his arms”, she said.
Head wounds could have been caused by a fall to ground or a blow to head but there were no fractures to Mr Rejmer’s skull.
“Michal Rejmer is likely to have succumbed to haemorrhage from stab the extensive wounds during a period of unconsciousness and died,” Prof Cassidy concluded.
After the jury was told that Monika Matracka was convicted at Central Criminal Court of manslaughter and jailed for six years, they returned a verdict of unlawful killing.
Coroner John McNamara expressed sympathy to Mr Rejmer’s family and friends and paid tribute to the Limerick Land Search Team for their efforts in trying to locate his body.
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