The estranged partner of a woman found dead in her Southwestern Sydney flat three months ago has been charged with her murder. Police allege 28 year old Danny Zayat fatally assaulted Tatiana Dokhotaru a short time after she tried to call for help.
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00:00 Before she died, Tatiana Dokotaru frantically phoned 000 for help, but the call was abruptly
00:08 cut off.
00:09 Police allege the 34-year-old's estranged partner, Danny Zayat, was assaulting her.
00:14 "Very tragic circumstances.
00:15 It's a vile crime."
00:17 Police didn't respond to the call until about three hours later, and were unable to find
00:22 Ms Dokotaru's apartment.
00:24 They didn't discover the body until they returned late the next day, and an internal police
00:29 investigation is now examining why it took so long.
00:32 This morning, the 28-year-old bodybuilder was arrested at a home in St Clair and charged
00:37 with Ms Dokotaru's murder.
00:38 He later appeared briefly at Penrith local court, where he was formally refused bail.
00:43 "We're saying we have a strong case in relation to this 28-year-old man appearing in court
00:48 today."
00:49 The arrest has been greeted with relief by those who knew the alleged victim.
00:52 "It's been an emotional rollercoaster for all of her friends and family.
00:58 They are still grieving.
01:00 The process is incomplete.
01:03 We're still waiting for justice to be served."
01:06 Detectives say the arrest was made possible by a large number of people coming forward
01:11 with information.
01:13 Police still haven't found Ms Dokotaru's mobile phone, which they believe was thrown from
01:17 her apartment just moments after her triple-O call was cut off.
01:21 They're appealing for anyone who may have found a phone around this apartment complex
01:24 to come forward, saying it could hold vital information.
01:28 They've released security footage of what they allege is the moment the phone was tossed
01:32 over the balcony.
01:33 [BLANK_AUDIO]