A jealous father who killed his own three-week-old son because he saw him as a rival for his partner’s love is jailed for at least 23 years.
Denis Beytula, 21, stabbed his son Andrei Stefan twice as he lay in his Moses basket at the family flat in Portland Close, Wallsend, North Tyneside, then stabbed his partner Andreea Stefan six times.
Afterwards, he rang 999 and when the arresting officer asked why he had blood on him, the fast food worker replied in a matter-of-fact tone: “I killed them.”
A police officer who entered the house found baby Andrei “stabbed, crying and bleeding to death in his Moses basket” and made desperate efforts to save him. Ms Stefan was on the floor in the hallway, “ashen faced and covered in blood” with multiple stab wounds.
The mother and newborn son were taken to hospital but Andrei died four days later, while 21-year-old Ms Stefan, survived by “sheer chance”.
The 21-year-old manager of a Domino’s pizza outlet, released a statement to say how she had been under her partner’s control when she and her baby should have been safe.
Sentencing Beytula, Judge Paul Sloan QC told him “the victim, your newly-born son, was particularly vulnerable” and the murder took place in what should have been “a place of sanctuary”.
Beytula, who arrived England from Bulgaria around seven years ago, was sentenced for the October murder and attempted murder at Newcastle Crown Court on Thursday, December 19.
Beytula and Andreea met at the end of 2018 and she was soon pregnant, with Andrei born the following September.
But Beytula was controlling. He controlled his partner, making her feel insecure and stopping her from having friendships outside the home, the court heard.
He even tried to get a job at her place of work and stopped her from attending a Domino’s awards ceremony in London.
His controlling influence got worse after Andrei was born, and a detective who worked on the case said Beytula grew jealous of the attention his partner needed to show to their newborn son.
Detective Inspector Graeme Dodds said: “He saw him not as a son, in a loving fatherly way, he saw him as a rival for Andreea’s affections. Because of that jealousy and selfishness he killed Andrei and tried to kill Andreea.”
In a statement, Ms Stefan, who is Romanian, said: “Denis was a man who was supposed to love me and my son. He was supposed to take care of us and keep us safe.
“But in one moment Denis shattered my whole world. In that one moment my heart was broken and my worst nightmare came true.”
She added: “I have spent every second of my life since that day looking for reasons that could have made the outcome different.
“I have blamed myself for not breaking up with Denis earlier but only those who have been in a controlling relationship will understand why I stayed.
“He made me feel like I could not find anyone better and that nobody else could be a father to our son. He manipulated me and said everything he did was for love.
“But now I know that what he had for me was not love. Love doesn’t try to control you, love doesn’t threaten you and love doesn’t kill babies.”
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