Kettering murderer lay next to dead ex-wife for four days after stabbing her 32 times – the killer’s timeline

She was ‘full of life, kind, cheerful, helpful and smart’ but Marta Chmielecka’s jealous ex-husband stabbed her so no-one else could have her.

After four years of marriage, Marta had plucked up the courage to leave Pawel Chmielecki due to his controlling and abusive behaviour.

Kind Marta had remained in contact with Chmielecki sometimes popping over to his HMO room in Wood Street, Kettering to cook for him.

But it was in that same room her body was found wrapped in a blood-stained duvet – her killer lying on the bed next to her with a knife stuck in his own neck.

Marta Chmielecka – and the man who refused to believe their relationship was over

Well-liked in the tight-knit Polish ex-pat community, Marta had been warned by friends to stay away from Chmielecki.

They married in 2016 in Poland and moved to Kettering the next year to be near her beloved brother and sister-in-law and their girls.

In 2020, he had come to the shop in Rockingham Road where she was working and confronted her about her relationships with other men.

He searched her phone after snatching it from her to find evidence of affairs. Chmielecki then punched Marta ‘repeatedly’ leaving her with bruises on her back and face – and with a cut lip. The police were called and she made a statement that was later withdrawn. Chmielecki apologised to his wife as part of a community resolution process.

In September that year she left him – but the harassment continued with phone calls and and messages.

The following year in Easter 2021, he became aggressive at a family party, pushing her about. Three months before her death he tracked down Marta at the Warren Pub – he grabbed her arm and was intimidating towards her. The following month he was reported for harassment.

Timeline of murder

Marta had been working four days on, four days off at CEVA in Corby.

On Friday, October 15, 2021 Marta went to her friend Daria’s house. She was dressed for a night out and was carrying a bag.

All night she had been exchanging ‘flirtatious’ messages with Alexandru, a work colleague, but had also answered a few texts from Chmielecki.

The day before she’d messaged her ex saying ‘for f***sake man, leave me in peace. I’ve had enough’.

Meanwhile, Chmielecki had told friends that he couldn’t ‘stand the thought of someone else touching her’. On the Friday he was desperate to find out where she was and who she was seeing. He contacted a friend who lived near Daria to see if she was in Woodlands Court.

When they said she wasn’t there, Chmielecki kept pestering Marta asking her to deliver a pizza to his flat but she refused.

All night he messaged and voice called – one ominously said: “I’m on my way to get you.”

At 10.40pm, Marta left Woodlands Court on foot, walking along Wood Street towards Rockingham Road.

Chmielecki left his house to walk towards Bath Road – down Wood Street – to intercept Marta.

What happened next was partially captured on CCTV. Marta who had been walking ‘normally’, without difficulty, was next seen with Chmielecki holding on to her arm, then struggling in the street and between parked cars.

Following the ‘struggle’ out of view from the cameras, Marta was next seen walking with difficulty, collapsing in the street, and frogmarched from behind by Chmielecki as they crossed Wilson Terrace.

Ring doorbell footage picked up her coughs, showing her doubled up and staggering. Chmielecki can be heard saying: “Come on. Not far now. Can you hear me?”

At 10.56pm the grainy CCTV footage revealed the last time she was seen alive – apart from by Chmielecki.

Once inside the Wood Street terraced house, jealous Chmielecki grabbed her phone to check her messages for evidence of romantic relationships. He took photos of the messages, and photos of him looming over Marta.

It is believed that he then killed her soon after in a ‘sustained and ferocious’ attack. Stabbing her 32 times including 19 times in the face and neck and seven in her hands as she tried to defend herself. One of the knives he had used to cut the pizza.

Chmielecki is caught

Just before 1am on Saturday, October 16, Chmielecki sent messages to friends and continued to take photos of Marta’s phone messages – red splatters show on the images.

He said: “I’m sorry but I loved her. She was my everything.”

On Sunday, October 17 at 8.45pm, Chmielecki popped to a shop in Rockingham Road to buy six cans of beer and a soft drink.

The next day (Monday) he sent messages from Marta’s phone pretending to be her to male contacts trying to encourage them into sexual encounters.

By this time Marta’s family were becoming increasingly concerned. Their messages that she would usually answer with a phone call were being answered by messages - and the messages didn’t feel like they had been written by her.

When Marta failed to turn up to work in Corby, her sister-in-law went to look for her. After a call to the police, officers were sent to Wood Street but failing to get an answer, they broke down the door.

Chmielecki was lying on his side and he had a knife in his neck. Another blood-stained knife was on the floor. Marta was found partially undressed wrapped in a blooded duvet. Two suicide notes written in Polish had been left in the room and explained he had killed her blaming her ‘lies and infidelity’.

Family reaction

Marta’s family have been left devastated by her murder saying they will never come to terms with her death. Her dad called her ‘the apple of his eye’ and her brother and sister-in-law say she was an ‘irreplaceable friend’.

How to report domestic abuse

If you're a victim of domestic abuse, or know someone who is, and there's an emergency that's ongoing or life is in danger, call 999 now.

You can also call 101 or go to https://www.northants.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/daa/domestic-abuse/support-organisations/.