Russian accused of daughter's murder relieved at dismissal of 'erotic fantasy' theory

Tamara Gennadievan Boube­kova is accused of the murder of her daughter Kalinina Boube­kova, who was established to have died after being asphyxiated

A lawyer’s challenge to a court expert’s conclusions in a sordid murder case involving a Russian woman whose body was found in a Xemxija apartment in 2011, has been upheld by a newly-appointed panel of experts who dimissed the findings.

Tamara Gennadievan Boube­kova, a Russian national, is accused of the murder of her daughter Kalinina Boube­kova, who was established to have died after being asphyxiated.

The investigation took a strange turn, however, when both women were found to have a number of “love bites” on their body, with teeth marks corresponding to each other.

In 2011, court-appointed dental forensic expert Hector Galea had confirmed that the bite marks on the victim belonged to her mother, and those on the accused belonged to the victim.

The bites - 30 on the victim and more than 50 on her mother - were consensual, although some marks did show signs of a struggle, he concluded.

But the revised findings by the court-appointed panel of three experts, released recently, were damning. The panel comprehensively demolished the credibility of the initial report, saying that the correct procedure in taking the samples and skin impressions of the bites was not followed and DNA swabs for saliva from the bite sites were not taken. “Prof. Galea’s testimony states that accused bit deceased over nose, lips and part of chin concurrently. To us, this is physically impossible.”

Contacted for his comments on the development, Boubekova’s lawyer Joe Giglio said the mother was glad that the “erotic fantasy story” had been discredited. “It’s a big relief for her. She was flabbergasted at the first report, saying that she had sex with her daughter. The report drove her insane. It broke her completely.”

The case against Boubekova continues next week.