A 38-year-old man in Britain is accused of raping and murdering his girlfriend, just weeks after she had warned authorities that the man exhibited “manipulative” and “narcissistic” behavior and could become unpredictable. The trial is currently underway in Portsmouth, with prosecutors arguing that the 37-year-old woman had endured about a year of abusive and controlling behavior before her death.
According to the Daily Mail, 38-year-old Steven Sexton, a shipyard worker and father of one child, killed 37-year-old Joanna Derkacz, a recruitment consultant, after their relationship ended. Prosecutors argue that Sexton caused fatal fractures to the woman’s neck using his forearm or the inside of his elbow, following approximately 12 months of “controlling and coercive behavior.”
During the hearing, it was revealed that the defendant was already on authorities’ radar, as less than three weeks before Derkacz’s death, she had warned police officers that he was a “bad person.”
Britain: How the 37-year-old described her future killer – “He tends to explode”
The 37-year-old had described her partner as a “narcissist,” stating that “he doesn’t like it when I go out” and explaining that “he has this habit of exploding.” The prosecution argued that there were many “warning signs” that were not properly assessed by police and that officers failed to realize “how far Sexton could go.”
Additionally, the court was informed that the defendant had previously been convicted of assault against his ex-wife and had “a history of attacks on previous partners.” Sexton denies charges of murder, rape, and two counts of coercive or controlling behavior.
Joanna Derkacz was found dead in the home she shared with the defendant in Waterlooville, Hampshire, on December 28, 2023. Forensic examinations revealed fractures on both sides of her neck.
A relationship that turned into a nightmare
The couple had been in a relationship for three years and lived together in an apartment with their two dogs, Bella and Teddy. According to the prosecution, Sexton’s behavior deteriorated when he lost his job and began using drugs. The relationship gradually transformed into a “controlling and coercive” environment, while at times becoming “violent and threatening.”
The jury heard that by December 2023, his behavior had terrorized Derkacz, who had confided to her sister that he had tried to strangle her, but she managed to push him away.
It was also reported that he had repeatedly taken her mobile phone, and in fits of rage had destroyed both a phone and her laptop. On another occasion, he had locked her out of the house because she returned about 20 minutes later than expected after going out with friends.
Jealousy, paranoia and control
For her part, the prosecutor noted that “over the months his behavior included jealousy, paranoia and attempts to control and isolate her.” She added that when Sexton locked her out of the house, he reported her missing to police, “undoubtedly hoping that officers would find her for him.”
However, the incident had the opposite effect, as it became the catalyst for her to ask him to leave the house and report to police both the destruction of her computer and his abusive behavior.
Shannon explained that the defendant did not leave immediately, as their dogs had just given birth to puppies and it was agreed he would stay until they were sold. Nevertheless, the two were now sleeping in separate rooms.
On December 11, 2023, two police officers visited Derkacz as part of a welfare check. She told them that her partner was “very controlling,” a “narcissist” and that “he doesn’t like it when I go out.” She also added that “he has this habit of exploding.”
“When he explodes he can’t stop”
The woman described his behavior as “torturous” and characterized him as a “bad person,” saying: “I don’t think he’s bipolar, but when he explodes he can’t stop.”
Despite what she reported, she denied to officers that Sexton had attempted to strangle her.
The prosecutor commented that Derkacz herself “seems to have made the fatal mistake of underestimating him.”
“It is one of the tragedies of this case that, although Joanna was cautious and there were so many warning signs, neither she nor the police officers seem to have realized how far Steven Sexton could go when he realized he was losing control of her,” she told the court.
And continued: “Her optimism and compassion may have cost her her life.”
During the trial it also became known that Sexton has a son from his previous marriage to Tara Sexton and has a criminal record for assault against her.
The prosecutor mentioned that the jury will hear evidence regarding his previous convictions for assault against his ex-wife, as well as for damaging her mobile phone.
“She was lying on the bed, lifeless”
The court was also informed that Derkacz’s lifeless body was found by her sister, Arleta, who became concerned when she couldn’t contact her and stopped by her house on December 28, returning from the airport, as she found it unusual that she wasn’t answering her calls.
When she arrived, she found the door unlocked and the dogs running anxiously around the house. Sexton appeared at the top of the stairs looking “really scared” and claimed that Derkacz wasn’t there, saying she had gone out with friends.
Arleta replied that she was going upstairs to see her, pushed past him and ran to the upper floor, where she found her sister “lying on the bed, lifeless.” As she testified, her skin had turned gray.
She then ran down the stairs screaming: “You killed my sister, you killed my sister.”
According to the prosecution, at that moment Sexton was in the kitchen holding a knife.
“When she first saw him with the knife, he was staring at her intently. He told her ‘you’re not leaving,'” Shannon reported.
Arleta testified that she felt “like she was in a movie,” as the situation seemed surreal, while simultaneously being paralyzed with fear.
As she told police officers, for a moment Sexton seemed not to know what to do. He then turned the knife toward himself and placed it against his wrist. The woman realized this was her chance to escape and ran out of the house.
The court also heard that Arleta was screaming “like an animal” as she fled and that police were subsequently notified. According to reports, the trial, which is expected to last six weeks, continues.
