WILMINGTON, Del. - Irina Malinovskaya admitted to police that she was outside the apartment where the body of Irina Zlotnikov was found on the day of her murder, according to a taped interrogation shown in court on Friday.
Jurors watched the videotaped statement of Malinovskaya, on trial for first-degree murder, being questioned by Det. Joseph Szczerba a week following the murder. The interrogation lasted more than three and a half hours.
Zlotnikov was found dead in Bondar's apartment Dec. 23, 2004. Bondar was dating Zlotnikov at the time of the murder and had previously dated Malinovskaya.
Despite prodding by the investigator, Malinovskaya firmly denied entering Robert Bondar's apartment that day.
Malinovskaya initially told Szczerba that she had not seen Bondar since August 2004, but then admitted to renting a car and driving down to Delaware in the days before the murder.
"I was just driving. . I ended up everywhere, just driving around," Malinovskaya said in the tape.
But when Szczerba pointed out that witnesses said they had seen her outside of Bondar's apartment the day before and the morning of the murder, Malinovskaya allowed that she had been there.
"I called him, but I didn't go inside. I tried my keys for luck, but they didn't work," Malinovskaya said.
Malinovskaya continually denied that she entered the apartment on the day of the murder, despite Szczerba's contention that police could prove she did.
"Things right now look like this: like you're this vicious brutal murderer that killed this girl," Szczerba said on the tape. "I want to give you the opportunity to explain. . I truly believe you're a nice person."
Szczerba repeatedly emphasized his willingness to help Malinovskaya and proposed theories about a possible provocation by Zlotnikov that might have caused her to resort to murder, but Malinovskaya continued to deny any involvement in the murder.
"I told you everything from the very bottom to the very top," Malinovskaya said. "It's illogical and crazy what you're telling me."
Malinovskaya chose to end her statement after Szczerba told her that police had found her footprint on Zlotnikov's body. Experts on footprints are slated to testify today.
She responded that it must have been somebody else and asserted her innocence again.
"I didn't attack anybody," Malinovskaya said.
The trial continues this morning at 9:30 a.m. with the conclusion of the recording.
