Estonian court sends woman to 7 years in jail for killing her husband

TALLINN - The Viru County Court on Monday sentenced a 68-year-old woman to seven years in prison for stabbing her husband to death in the northeastern city of Jõhvi in August 2023.

The court fully granted the prosecutor's request and found the 68-year-old, identified by her first name as Tatjana, guilty of manslaughter. The sentence handed down to the accused is seven years in prison, minus the two days she spent in custody during pre-trial proceedings.

On Aug. 31, 2023, after a conflict had broken out between Tatjana and her husband in Jõhvi, she stabbed her husband once in the chest with a knife. The victim died at the scene.

"The statements collected during the proceedings showed that Tatjana had had violent conflicts with her husband also earlier, especially when both had drunk alcohol," said Liina Pikma, prosecutor at the Viru District Prosecutor's Office.

Both were known to have problems with alcohol abuse.

"Although Tatjana has no previous criminal convictions, the act committed by her was committed against a person connected with her and its consequence was very serious, which is why the prosecutor's office found that she should be punished with non-suspended imprisonment," the prosecutor said. "After examining the evidence gathered in the proceedings, the Viru County Court came to the same conclusion."

The first-tier court's decision has not yet entered into force.