Boretsky plans appeal of Wednesday’s verdict.
By: Joe Harvie
Boris Boretsky of South Brunswick was found guilty Wednesday of murdering his wife in March 2002, and of seven other charges relating to her death.
A jury at the state Superior Court in New Brunswick, Middlesex County, issued its guilty verdict at 11:40 a.m. Wednesday after going into deliberations for two hours Friday afternoon, and meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday morning, Assistant Prosecutor Nicholas Sewitch said.
Mr. Boretsky’s attorney, Joseph Benedict, said he plans to appeal.
The jury found Mr. Boretsky, 55, guilty of first-degree murder and felony murder for fatally stabbing Saoule "Lana" Moukhametova, 41, his wife of eight years, in the chest on March 3, 2002. He was also found guilty of aggravated assault for beating Ms. Moukhametova on Jan. 19, 2002, Mr. Sewitch said.
Mr. Boretsky was also found guilty of making terroristic threats for calling and threatening to kill his wife on Jan. 20, while he was being held at the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in North Brunswick on the aggravated assault charges, Mr. Sewitch said.
In addition, Mr. Sewitch said, the jury found Mr. Boretsky guilty of the following charges:
contempt charges for violating a temporary restraining order when he made the threatening call to Ms. Moukhametova, Mr. Sewitch said.
contempt charges for violating a temporary restraining order when he made the threatening call to Ms. Moukhametova;
burglary and a second contempt of court charge for violating a permanent restraining order, for entering his wife’s Ridge Road home on March 3, 2002 with the intent to cause harm;
possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose for using a kitchen knife to kill Ms. Moukhametova;
tampering with physical evidence for cleaning his wife’s blood from the floor of the home and placing his wife’s fingerprint’s on the knife that he used to kill her.
Mr. Sewitch said the jury will be charged with sentencing Mr. Boretsky, who could get the death penalty.
Mr. Boretsky’s attorney, Joseph Benedict, a criminal defense lawyer in New Brunswick, said the jury will meet for sentencing Tuesday.
Mr. Benedict said he will appeal the decision. He said evidence that Mr. Boretsky beat his wife several times prior to the Jan. 19, 2002, beating were made admissible in later weeks of the trial. He said he plans on appealing conviction because believes that evidence should have been declared inadmissible.
Mr. Benedict said that he spoke to Mr. Boretsky after the trial and Mr. Boretsky said that he was pleased with the job Mr. Benedict and his associate Philip Nettl did presenting their case.
"He appreciated that we believed in him and worked as hard as we did," Mr. Benedict said. "He said we did a good job and that he is looking forward to the appeal process. However he was disheartened by the verdict."
The case was heard before state Superior Court Judge John Mulvihill in New Brunswick.