Inquest told of infidelity and brawls before murder of playboy

Tales of extra-marital affairs, threatening e-mails and domestic brawls have dominated an ongoing inquest into the murder of a playboy artist who met his death outside his mistress’ Villa in the upmarket Karen neighbourhood 15 years ago.

The widow of Antonio Trzebinski recounted her numerous fights with her husband over his illicit affair with a Danish professional game hunter Natasha Illum-Berg in the months leading to his fatal shooting on October 16, 2001.

Testifying before Resident Magistrate Eddah Agade, Anna Sophie Trzebinski spoke about the pain she went through after discovering that her husband was cheating on her with Miss Natasha, and the nasty e-mails they exchanged with her rival.

“We met at some function, she was not a friend, she had a distinct Danish accent, she had come to our house,” Anna said of her husband’s mistress.

“I was incredibly upset and dismayed about finding what I suspected was likely to be going on,” she told the inquest into her husband’s murder.

“I sent him foul e-mails, he sent me a few. I am sure the e-mails were not polite. I was so upset, I received an e-mail from Natasha saying I was jealous, bored and possessive housewife and I was so mad at them both,” she went on.

Anna, who remarried shortly after, however denied any role in the murder, describing the father of their two children as a great friend, a good father and an amazing man.

“I had absolutely nothing to do with Antonio’s death and that is deeply offensive to me and the children. I was not in any meeting where anyone planned to kill my husband. I would not know anyone who had reason to kill Antonio,” she added amid sobs.

At the time of Antonio’s fatal shooting, the couple were living separately and Anna was receiving treatment at a US rehabilitation facility.

DISPUTED ORIGINAL POLICE THEORY

The inquest started its hearings on February, this year, after years of undercover detective work by Antonio’s mother, who disputes the original police theory that her son’s murder was the result of a simple carjacking that went wrong. 

Neither his car, nor his expensive watch or a wad of cash in his wallet was stolen and his mother believes a hired assassin killed her son. 

Testifying before the inquest, Natasha opened up on her illicit love affair with Antonio, her other affair with a former British solider and her nasty e-mail exchanges with Anna.

“I was in a relationship with another man Sebastian Willis Planning. Karen is a small community, I had met his (Antonio) Anna. It was not a secret he was in an unhappy marriage and I had a relationship with him (while still being with another man Sebastian who was also in another relationship,” she said.

“We were in love, we were planning a future, he came to my house very often. When he died, he had moved out of their house with Anna and informed his wife and his mother that he wanted a divorce,” she added.

“He named his fears, he said he was extremely scared of Anna and her capabilities and I asked how bad it was and he told me I had no idea what Anna was capable of,” she went on.

She narrated the day Anna sent her a threatening e-mail. “I cannot remember if Anna called me. She sent me a threatening e-mail, very threatening.

She said something to the effect that she thought I was wearing a protective gear because she was coming around. As much as it was a threat, I felt she was desperate and jealous,” she stated.

Natasha also revealed how police had tried to frame Anna for her husband’s murder.

“I refused to answer when the police asked me if I knew if Anna had arranged the death of Antonio and I told them Anna was the mother of their children. I kept it neutral, I did not want to be put in a corner.”

She did not however attend Antonio’s funeral and subsequent cremation as she had been aware her presence was not desired, she stated.

CARJACKING

A family friend who also testified at the inquest maintained that Antonio was a victim of a carjacking attempt gone awry and that his death was not linked to his extramarital affair.   

Mr Ludovico Gnecchi, an Italian investor living in Kenya since 1988, was categorical that Antonio’s escapades with Natasha could not have led to his death.

The couple had two children – Stas, 24 and Lana, 23 who were about nine and eight years at the time their father’s cold blooded murder.

On the fateful day, Antonio had spent time with the children and returned them to the house to sleep. He told the workers that he would return.

He called Natasha informing her that he was on his way to her residence, but he never made it as he was gunned down at point blank range a few meters from his mistress’s residence.

The inquest will resume in August.