The man who allegedly killed Australian teacher Shanae Brooke Edwards in Georgia claims the “devil awakened inside him”.
Detectives from the Georgian Interior Ministry arrested Georgian citizen Rafael Mursakulov for the alleged murder of the 31-year-old Melbourne “free spirit” in September.
On Wednesday, the accused killer – who has pleaded guilty to robbery but not to her murder in a Georgian court – addressed Ms Brooke Edwards’ family and his country as his trial drew to a close.
“I apologize to this country, to the people, to this person’s family,” Mursakulov said in his native language.
“It’s a loss you can’t make up for. just forgive me Whatever the verdict, I will not vote, I will not appeal, I will see it through, my apologies.’
Tributes to the kind and adventurous Shanae Brooke Edwards have flooded social media since her alleged July 30 murder
The much-loved “free spirit” was on the phone with a friend while trekking in the US when she was heard shouting “Take your hands off me” – before the call was dropped
Ms Brooke Edwards’ last Instagram post, which showed her riding a motorbike on July 29, was captioned “joy”.
Ms Brooke Edwards was found with stab wounds near a narrow pedestrian walkway in Mtatsminda Park in Tbilisi, the eastern European country’s capital, on July 31, a day after she went on a hike and never returned.
She was on the phone with a friend in the United States and was heard screaming when she was attacked.
Tbilisi City Court has heard Mursakulov’s lawyers claim he was mentally ill when he tried to rob the beloved teacher.
Prosecutor Giorgi Kobuladze, however, demanded that Mursakulov be found guilty of premeditated murder.
“Defendant stabbed Shanai Brook 13 times, five of them in the neck, confirming intent to kill. She was then stabbed with a knife, after which she was brutally killed. Then he hid the victim’s body,” Mr Kobuladze reportedly told the court.
Georgian detectives further claim that Mursakulov told his brother and sister-in-law what allegedly happened after the robbery and threatened to kill their son if they said anything about the crime.
The verdict, expected this week, has been postponed at the request of prosecutors to allow Ms Brooke Edwards’ brother, who lives in Australia, to appear in court at that time.
The court has heard that Mursakulov claimed he could not remember in detail how or why he killed Mrs Brooke Edwards.
It’s a claim that has been refuted by prosecutors who claim that although the killer had trace amounts of psychiatric drugs in his system, he knew what he was doing when the alleged murder was committed.
Georgian citizen Rafael Mursakulov claims he has no memory of killing Shanae Brooke Edwards but has apologized for his actions
Georgian police arrested Rafael Mursakulov after a nearly 40-day investigation
Shanae Brooke Edwards’ body was found dumped under bushes in the shade of a popular amusement park. Allegedly murdered in a botched robbery
Shanae Brooke Edwards had traveled the world. She was killed after a hike
The court heard that Mursakulov intended to cremate the body of Mrs Brooke Edwards and had dragged her body to the edge of a ravine and covered it with leaves.
“He can’t see how it happened. He has some psychological problems, which does not exclude his admission,” said Mr. Kobuladze.
“He himself cannot describe in detail what caused all this. His explanation was that at that moment the greatest devil awoke within him, (which he) could not overcome.’
The trial has heard evidence from other witnesses who claimed the defendants also tried to pursue them near Mtatsminda Park, Georgian media reported.
Prosecutors have asked the court to impose a heavier sentence than usual on the alleged killer.
Mursakulov faces 16 to 20 years or life in prison if convicted of first degree murder and attempting to cover up the crime.
The death of Ms Brooke Edwards has sent shock waves across the Tbilisi community and across Australia.
Police had produced a composite sketch of the alleged perpetrator after interviewing 200 people, including friends, colleagues, neighbors and fellow hikers, who were in Mtatsminda Park on the day she was allegedly murdered.
After verifying their whereabouts at the time of the murder, police began investigating the alleged killer.
Searchers found this old and rusty shovel in the bushes in the area where Mrs Brooke Edwards went missing.
The Ferris wheel attraction at Mtatsminda Park would have been in Shanae Brooke Edwards’ field of vision when she was allegedly murdered
Georgia Police are searching for Shanae Brooke Edwards in Mtatsminda Park. Her body was found a day after she disappeared
LAST MOMENTS CAPTURED ON CCTV
CCTV footage of Ms Brooke Edwards captured her last living moments as she set out on her fateful hiking journey on July 30.
Wearing tight black yoga pants and a dark top, she was last seen leaving Tver’s Mikhail Church to hike up Mtatsminda.
Pictures clearly showed her with a green bag, which is reportedly still missing.
It is understood that Ms Brooke Edwards’ mobile phone was found a day after she disappeared in nearby bushveld near where her body had been found.
Police sources have told local media that no signs of sexual assault have been found on her body, contrary to previous reports.
“Through extensive and complex investigative activities, the group of suspected perpetrators was reduced to a minimum, while the identity of the perpetrator was unequivocally confirmed by the genetic examination report,” claimed the criminal police at the time.
News of Mursakulov’s arrest for the murder was greeted by terrified locals, who set up a social media page to protect women following the murder of Ms Brook Edwards.
Shocked citizens had already erected a memorial for the murdered schoolteacher, and locals laid flowers at the site.
Mrs Brooke Edwards’ body was found dumped under bushes in the shade of a popular amusement park.
In the months since the horrifying alleged murder, reports of Ms Brooke Edwards’ rape have been proven false.
As have reports of an alleged photograph of a young blond man being passed around by detectives in the days following the crime.
A GoFundMe page was created to help Mrs Brooke Edwards’ family bring her body back to Australia and had raised more than $20,000 in donations.
However, the Georgian government later stepped in and announced that it would cover the cost of transporting her body to Australia.
Shanae Brooke Edwards was killed in Georgia after a hike
A young Shanae Brooke Edwards (right) with her family
Shanae Brooke Edwards and her brother Tyson in happier times
