On March 16, 2020, a state of emergency is established in Romania „to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus,” as stated in the decree signed by Klaus Iohannis, the President of Romania.
The immediate effect was the restriction of fundamental rights such as freedom of movement, the right to intimate life, inviolability of the home, and others, with strong and lasting consequences on the entire country, as well as on Europe in general.
Hospitals were already overwhelmed. The crisis of protective masks and medical gowns had become a national emergency, and many cases of other conditions apart from those caused by the virus received less attention from medical staff exposed to infection, frightened, and exhausted.
Two days after the state of emergency was established, on Bisericii Street in Chiajna, in a villa, Marina Cătălina Avram was brutally beaten by her life partner, Alexandru Nicolae Iordan.
Read here the first article in the series: Love, a death sentence. The heartbreaking story of Marina Avram and corruption in Justice - Illustration: Ada Bucur, for Spotmedia.ro
For six years, the Romanian justice system has been struggling to solve this murder case, with the man being released from custody during the process.
Although he was sentenced in May 2025 to 14 years in prison for the offense of causing death by blows, the sentence is not final, as the process is now in the appeal stage at the Bucharest Court of Appeal.
Alexandru Nicolae Iordan is part of a criminal group in Chiajna involved in illegal usury, human trafficking, drug trafficking, and other activities, according to court records and lawyers consulted by spotmedia.ro.
Alexandru Nicolae Iordan is part of a criminal group in Chiajna involved in illegal usury, drug and human trafficking, used as a tool of political pressure by Mayor Mircea Minea (PNL) - Photo: Marina Avram's personal archive
The Iordan group has been accused of exerting pressure on politicians in Chiajna, local councilors, who vote against the mayor's proposals or criticize his administrative decisions.
For the writing of this article, we requested a statement regarding the accusations made by the individuals involved in the trial of Marina Avram and Mircea Minea, the mayor of Chiajna.
As of the article's publication, we have not received a response to the request. Please note that once we receive a response, it will be made public.
Taken Hostage
Marina Cătălina Avram smiles in a selfie. She died at the age of 33 as a result of the beatings inflicted by her partner, Alexandru Iordan - Photo: Marina Avram's personal archive
March 1st and International Women's Day Beatings
A Heart-Stabbing, Breathing Heavily, and Feeling Nauseous
VIDEO. Constanța Ivan, Marina's mother, recounts the moment when Alexandru Iordan called for help and lied about the severity of the injuries and what caused them - Source: Spotmedia.ro
The man called 112 at 18:59, saying that "his girlfriend's heart is hurting, she's breathing heavily, and feeling nauseous," according to statements from the case file.
When the SMURD team arrived, Marina was conscious. She was urgently transported to the Emergency University Hospital in Bucharest.
She told the ambulance team that "she fell on a coffee table," complaining of severe pain in the chest area and in one hand.
The short journey from life to death
7:45 PM. Marina Avram arrived at the hospital.
7:57 PM. She was examined by Dr. Diana Dimitriu, who testified in court that the patient repeatedly claimed that the intense chest pain was the result of an accidental fall at home.
A GCS score of 15 points represents the maximum value and indicates that the patient is fully conscious, awake, and alert. They know their name, where they are, the date, and year. They can follow simple commands, as shown in the procedures applied in cases of trauma suffered by patients at the University Hospital in Bucharest.
Medical assistant Gabriel Șchiopu helped her move, then performed the X-ray. Shortly after, he noticed that the patient "began to stiffen and her hands became rigid," according to the cited document.
Marina Avram started complaining that she was feeling worse and having trouble breathing.
She said she couldn't move anymore. The stretcher bearers lifted her, placed her on a stretcher, and took her to the triage area in the ERU.
9:00 PM. Chief doctor Nicoleta Badea examined Marina Avram and found a swelling on her head. She decided to perform a tomography. The young woman's health deteriorated. The Glasgow score dropped to 5 points. Following the medical investigation, it was found that Marina had a "subdural hematoma in the right temporo-parietal area, requiring emergency surgery." Additionally, an abdominal ultrasound revealed "a large amount of fluid and a ruptured spleen," also requiring emergency surgery, as stated in the medical report.
10:08 PM. Diana Colcea, a medical assistant, called 112, reporting to the police that Marina Cătălina Avram "was the victim of physical assault."
1:30 AM, March 19. The two surgical interventions, on the head and abdomen, were carried out simultaneously. Marina fell into a coma and was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit.
Neurosurgeon Adrain Caius Buzaș, who operated on the subdural hematoma, "observed that cerebral edema had occurred" due to the excess fluid in the brain tissues.
On March 22, 2020, at 7:50 AM, Marina Cătălina Avram lost the battle for survival and died, the death being caused "by multiple organ failure and an unrecoverable cardio-respiratory arrest directly following the blows inflicted by Alexandru Nicolae Iordan," as stated in the medical report in the murder case file.
Leave no traces
84 hours, that's how long Marina survived after her former partner attacked her with unimaginable fury and violence.
"...one of the possible ways in which the polytrauma with splenic rupture could have occurred... could be represented by kicking with a bare foot or a sports shoe (to leave no traces), while the woman was lying on the floor," said forensic doctor Adrian Sârbu in front of the judges.
Additionally, Marina Avram was "directly hit at the level of the jaw with hard objects," the forensic expert specified, "the facial injuries not being caused by a fall," said Dr. Adrian Sârbu.
Constanța Ivan urgently returned to the country. She tried to reach her daughter, desperately trying to see her one more time, but failed. It was a pandemic. State of emergency.
She learned about her daughter's death over the phone, from a nurse, while she had been standing at the hospital gate for hours.
With Marina's death, her world ended. She entered a new one, a nightmare. The nightmare of justice in Romania.
In the next article, a mysterious criminal case will be presented, which was supposed to conclude in two weeks, according to a lawyer involved, but has been ongoing for six years.
Readers will encounter Mircea Minea, the mayor of Chiajna, and influential judge Lia Savonea, pointed at by Marina's mother, accusing them of making efforts to help Alexandru Iordan avoid punishment.
I specify that Judge Lia Savonea, the President of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, responded to Spotmedia.ro's request with some questions regarding possible external pressures on the trial held at the Ilfov Tribunal, now pending at the Bucharest Court of Appeal, where Alexandru Iordan is being tried for the repeated blows causing the death of Marina Avram.
Judge Lia Savonea denies the accusations. The magistrate's full official statement will be published in the next article.