Zygimantas Kromelys: Pair jailed for Rotherham stabbing
- Published
Zygimantas Kromelys died after being stabbed at a house in Rotherham in 2019
The girlfriend and the lodger of a man who was stabbed to death in South Yorkshire have been jailed for life for his murder.
Zygimantas Kromelys, 26, was stabbed in the chest at the home in Rotherham he shared with Indre Barysaite, 30, and Dimitrijus Jakimovas, 33.
Sheffield Crown Court heard he suffered a single stab wound on 10 November 2019, puncturing his heart and lung.
Barysaite and Jakimovas were earlier found guilty of Mr Kromelys' murder.
During the trial, prosecutor Thomas Kealey QC told the jury: "It's not known which of the defendants inflicted the fatal blow or indeed the reason for the attack.
"[But] the prosecution case is that both defendants were part of a joint agreement with one another to cause him really serious harm."
The court heard Mr Kromelys, also known as Zygi, was last seen alive at about 21:00 when he and Jakimovas, both Lithuanian nationals, were captured on CCTV leaving their house in Denman Street to take out rubbish.
The prosecution told the jury that "there was a significant movement of figures seen through a glass panel of the rear door" at about 21:35.
Barysaite then called the owner of the car wash where Mr Kromelys worked, saying "Zygi die", the court heard.
Dimitrijus Jakimovas and Indre Barysaite were both found guilty of Mr Kromelys' murder
South Yorkshire Police described Mr Kromelys' relationship with Barysaite, also Lithuanian, as "toxic and destructive".
Det Ch Insp Mark Oughton said: "The pair claimed Zygi had fallen and injured himself on a spike while outside, then that he was stabbed by a third party, again while outside, and lastly that he had stabbed himself in the chest.
"We can surmise that an argument broke out between the three after Zygi and Jakimovas went to the shop earlier that evening."
Barysaite was sentenced to a minimum of 12 years in jail, while Jakimovas was sentenced to a minimum of 13 years.
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