Lonely hearts killing: The death of Virginja Jurkiene
Check-In To MurderWhen 49-year-old Virginja Jurkiene placed a lonely hearts advertisement in a Lithuanian magazine, she thought her luck was about to change.
But what started as a consensual date would soon end up as one of Cambridgeshire’s most bloody homicide investigations, with the eventual verdict sparking questions about what constitutes murder and manslaughter in UK law.
We feature this case in Check-In To Murder, a docuseries that examines shocking crimes committed in Britain's nostalgic holiday destinations. Crime+Investigation examines the events of that evening, the investigation that followed, and the legal questions the verdict raised about the boundary between murder and manslaughter.
Who was Virginja Jurkiene?
Virginja Jurkiene had a difficult life.
In her own words, she was ‘terrorised by her late husband’ and raised by an alcoholic father who couldn’t care for himself, let alone his two daughters. Deeply affected by their troubled upbringing, Virginja also lost her sister to suicide in 2008, leaving her alone.
Struggling to cope, she began drinking heavily. Four years before her death, she had been caught shoplifting to fund her addiction.
Her solicitor at the time told the court: ‘What is behind these offences is an alcohol problem. She cannot remember what she had been doing, because she had been drinking.’
Despite her troubles, Virginja was loved deeply by her children and family, who later described her as ‘the dearest, the most loved mum’. She wanted to find love again and tried desperately to turn her life around.
A deadly date
After her previous relationship ended, Virginja was ready to meet someone new. She placed a lonely hearts advertisement in a Lithuanian magazine, ‘seeking a friend for a serious relationship’, and soon connected with 48-year-old Dainotas Doblys, who was living in Boston, Lincolnshire.
They agreed to meet on Friday, 18th January 2013 for dinner and drinks. Later that evening, they checked into a room at the Hare and Hounds Hotel in Wisbech. CCTV footage shows the pair leaving once to buy alcohol and food before turning in for the night.
The next morning, around 11:45am, Doblys approached the front desk. He reportedly told reception staff that there was ‘a big problem’ and ‘something wrong’
When hotel staff entered the room, they found Virginja lying naked on the bed in a pool of blood. When emergency services arrived, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation
As Doblys was the last person to see Virginja alive, he became the main suspect in the investigation. When questioned, he told police the pair had had consensual sex, but offered no satisfactory explanation as to how she sustained such serious, life-ending injuries.
The subsequent post-mortem examination revealed Virginja had died from ‘suffocation in conjunction with severe alcohol intoxication’. Examiners also found evidence of violent sexual assault, directly contradicting Doblys's account of consensual sex.
Forensic dentist Dr Alfred Martin later told the jury that ‘one of Ms Jurkiene’s false teeth was probably broken at the time of the incident.’ Plus, the bruises on her buttocks were suggestive of a ‘possible bite mark and could have been made through an article of clothing.’
Detective Inspector Richard Wall later said: ‘This was a particularly nasty case where the victim was subjected to a horrific sexual assault when she was semi-conscious or unconscious.’
Investigators were unconvinced by Doblys’ story, and they started building a case against him.
Murder or manslaughter?
Prosecutors believed they had enough evidence to pursue a murder charge, but the trial wasn't that straightforward. While the jury accepted that Doblys had raped Virginja, they were not convinced beyond reasonable doubt that he intended to kill her.
After careful deliberation, they acquitted him of murder but convicted him of two counts of rape and manslaughter. He was sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment, followed by a further four years on licence.
Speaking to reporters outside Cambridge Crown Court, Virginja’s family issued a heartbreaking statement:
‘We experience sleepless nights, nightmares and the most horrible thoughts of the suffering mum went through. We just want to know why he was so cruel to our mum. These words are a goodbye to her, the dearest, the most loved mum.’
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