A 40-year-old woman, the doctor’s housekeeper found dead last Tuesday in a burned apartment in Bucharest, has been detained and is set to be brought before the court with a proposal for preventive arrest. She is the main suspect in this case, and investigators do not rule out the possibility of an accomplice.
Prosecutors have formally charged the woman with murder, destruction, and qualified theft, becoming a defendant in the case.
According to the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Bucharest Tribunal, on the evening of March 31, around 9:00 p.m., the woman was in the victim's residence, a 72-year-old man from sector 3. She attacked him with a knife, striking him multiple times. The man suffered several injuries, including a wound in the chest area that affected his heart.
"Subsequently, the defendant stole the victim's phone and, using flammable substances and materials, set fire to the apartment, leaving the scene. Firefighters intervened on the spot, extracted the victim from the residence, and extinguished the fire. Despite the resuscitation maneuvers applied, medical personnel confirmed the victim's death," the source stated.
Antena3 cites sources claiming that the woman has admitted to the crime, but asserts that she acted in self-defense following a conflict with the victim. This version is being verified by investigators and is not officially confirmed at this time.
The Fire that Was Supposed to Erase Traces
The doctor was found dead in his residence after a fire broke out in the apartment. However, investigations revealed that the man had been stabbed before the fire broke out.
The body was discovered in the kitchen, with multiple stab wounds. Investigators say the fire was intentionally set, most likely to destroy evidence.
Even so, the fire did not decisively affect the evidence, and forensic experts managed to collect several relevant samples from the residence, including multiple knives, which were sent to the laboratory to determine the murder weapon.
Sources cited by Antena 3 state that the woman worked as a housekeeper in the doctor's residence and that there had been a previous conflict between the two. Investigators are trying to determine the exact nature of their relationship and what happened before the attack.
The Hypothesis of an Accomplice
Special Forces police officers descended on the woman's residence on Sunday after the investigation narrowed down to individuals who recently entered the victim's apartment. Among them was the housekeeper.
Investigators continue to analyze whether the woman acted alone or had assistance.
What the Suspect Told Investigators
According to the same sources, the woman allegedly told investigators that the doctor had consumed alcohol, became aggressive, and did not allow her to leave the residence.
In this context, she claims that the attack was a defensive gesture after the situation escalated.
The victim, Cristian Staicu, worked as an anesthesiologist at Gomoiu Hospital and had been part of Lahovari Hospital's team for the past 20 years.
Associates say he was a calm person, free of conflicts. Just a few days before the tragedy, he had finished his last shift and told his colleagues that he would not continue his work in April.
"We did dozens of shifts together, if not hundreds. It is very impressive what happened; we can't explain anything (...) He was a very calm, very peaceful person," said Monica Pop, quoted by Observator.