On Deadly Women this week, the team is examining the murder of Radica Zafirovska, who was brutally beaten to death by her daughter, Simona Zafirovska, in their home in Brisbane, Australia.
On October 20, 2016, the police in Brisbane received an emergency call from the younger Zafirovska to say intruders had broken into their home. She whispered to the operator and claimed they were still in the house.
When the cops arrived at the scene, they were greeted with a thoroughly gruesome sight. The 56-year-old Radica had been beaten to death with a blunt object; they would later learn that she had been struck approximately 20 times while sleeping in her bed. She had suffered multiple fractures to her face and skull.
The 21-year-old Zafirovska played the role of a devastated daughter and pointed to the ransacked living room to show that the crime was perpetrated by outside intruders.
However, the cops were suspicious of her story. For one thing, there was no visible sign of entry. And the investigators concluded that any assailants would have been unable to scale the property’s high fences without alerting the neighbors or dogs.
The cops began to suspect Simona Zafiirovska of murder
Shockingly, the investigators then located a bloody piece of artificial wood, a plank, hidden in Zafirovska’s bedroom. They concluded that this was the murder weapon. The young killer denied knowing how the piece of fake wood got into her room.
Zafirovska continued to deny the murder; in an interview, she told the cops: “I haven’t killed my mum. Like how can you? I haven’t killed her. Why would I want to kill my mum? Like, give me one good reason why I would want to kill my own mother?”
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelThe police believe that the pair may have had a rocky relationship and that the daughter decided she wanted her mother out of the way. Zafirovska also stood to benefit financially from her mother’s death.
At her trial, the prosecution argued that Zafirovska had killed her mom and then ransacked her own living room and concocted a story about a home invasion.
In the spring of 2019, Zafirovska was found guilty of murdering Radica. She was sentenced to life in prison but will be eligible for parole after 20 years.
Just before the sentencing, Zafirovska learned for the first time that she was actually adopted; DNA testing had revealed the surprise news.
More from Deadly Women
Follow the links to read about more murderous women profiled on Deadly Women.
Last week, the show examined the case of Rhonda Orr, who murdered her disabled husband, James Orr, by setting a fire in their Texas home. She was having an affair with another man and hoped to claim over $1 million in insurance policy payouts. They also examined two other women murderers, Florence Ransom and Patricia Hill.
On a previous episode, the show investigated the bizarre case of Barbara Rogers, who killed boyfriend Steven Mineo after he decided that the leader of their religious cult had become possessed by an alien reptile. They also examined two other killers, Leonarda Cianciulli and Geraldine Parrish.
Deadly Women airs at 10/9c on Investigation Discovery.