Sister of woman allegedly murdered by "snake" boyfriend tells alleged killer "you killed my sister" after finding lifeless sibling
Sister confronted by alleged killer when she goes to house
The sister of a woman who was allegedly murdered by her “snake” boyfriend has described the harrowing moment she found her lifeless sibling.
“Jealous” Stephen Sexton, 38, is alleged to have killed Joanna Derkacz, 37, in the early hours of December 28, 2023, at their home in Nevinson Way, Waterlooville.
Sexton denies murder, rape and controlling or coercive behaviour after their relationship of three years ended while they still lived together.
Portsmouth Crown Court was played a police video interview of Joanna’s sister Arleta Derkacz who was worried about her sibling’s welfare after she was not answering the phone. “I felt something wasn’t right,” she said.
After going to Joanna’s address on the morning of December 28 with her partner, Arleta rang the doorbell three times but got no response. She then opened the unlocked door where Joanna and Sexton’s dogs were barking and running about, and the “atmosphere was creepy”.
Sexton suddenly appeared “looking really scared” and was speaking with a “fragile voice” as Arleta questioned him. “I asked, ‘where’s my sister?’ He said, ‘she’s not here.’ I could see he was lying. His eyes were going all over the place.
“I said, ‘where’s my sister?’ He said, ‘she went to see friends’. I said, ‘where’s my sister? I know she’s here. I said, ‘I’m going upstairs.’ He said, ‘no you won’t.’ I just knew.”
Arleta pushed past Sexton and ran upstairs and peered through the door where she could see her pale sister motionless on the bed with her mouth and eyes open and her head slightly tilted away towards the window.
“I saw her face…I didn’t even go in there. I ran downstairs and said, ‘you killed my sister’. I ran out of the house and was shouting ‘you killed my sister’.
“All the neighbours came out. I was crying and shouting. I couldn’t believe what I saw.”
As Arleta had passed Sexton by the bottom of the stairs she noticed he was holding a “long kitchen knife” which he appeared to be holding towards his wrist. “I think he said, ‘I’m sorry’,” Arleta said.
She added: “The way he looked at me he was almost waiting for me to say something so he could (say sorry).”
Arleta told detectives during the interview she had thought Sexton was a “good guy” when he first started dating Joanna before the relationship started to unravel around a year after they moved in together.
She said Sexton was “smoking (cannabis) way too much” and was “very jealous” and had lost his job.
The trial was previously told how Joanna had hit out at Sexton in messages on a number of topics, including seeing sex workers, and told him: “You have cheated on me with multiple women.”
She described Sexton as “sick” and confessed to fears over his behaviour: “I can’t trust you when you’re at home. I don’t feel safe with you.”
Firing a warning to Sexton, Ms Derkacz then told him: “Everyone will find out what a snake you are.”
(Proceeding)