Ex-Boyfriend Killed Woman After Throwing Her Phone From Balcony During Chilling Call to Police: 'He's Bashing Me' By Samira Asma-Sadeque

A man has been sentenced to prison after his ex-girlfriend was found brutally killed in her Sydney, Australia apartment two years ago.

Tatiana Dokhotaru, 30, was found dead inside the residence in May 2023, abc.net.au, The Sydney Morning Herald and news.com.au reported, adding that the discovery came 20 hours after she made a frantic call to police claiming her ex-boyfriend, Danny Zayat, was trying to kill her.

In the emergency call cited by the outlets, Dokhotaru could be heard telling the dispatcher: “My ex-boyfriend is here and he’s trying to kill me … He’s bashing me.”

Dokhotaru, a fashion entrepreneur, also alleged on the call that Zayat, 31, was stealing her money, per The Sydney Morning Herald and abc.net.au. However, the call cut off when Zayat took her phone and threw it off the balcony, the outlets reported, citing the judge’s statements in court.

Authorities say security footage showed Zayat then fled the building with cash, per the outlets.

As a result of the call being cut short, the emergency dispatcher was not informed which apartment unit Dokhotaru was in, therefore delaying the response from law enforcement, the outlets reported.

Authorities were not able to locate or enter the unit until 20 hours later when Zayat returned and called emergency dispatch to say he had found Dokhotaru dead, per the outlets.

Bodycam footage uploaded by news.com.au shows Zayat breaking down crying in front of officers upon finding Dokhotaru’s body — which prosecutors said in court were “crocodile tears.”

He was convicted of murdering her in November 2025, according toThe Sydney Morning Herald and abc.net.au.

Zayat also reportedly left a child, then 4-years-old, alone with Dokhotaru’s body for 12 hours during that time, according to The Canberra Times. It wasn’t immediately clear whose child it was, or if Zayat has been charged in connection with that allegation.

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Authorities said Dokhotaru died from a fatal brain hemorrhage stemming from blunt force injuries to her head, per The Canberra Times, news.com.au and abc.net.

At Zayat’s sentencing on Friday, Dec. 19, a judge admonished him.

“This large muscular male is standing over a defenseless, diminutive woman having asserted dominance with his fists,” Justice Desmond Fagan said, per The Canberra Times. “It is a picture of cowardice and cruelty.”

Zayat was previously found guilty of her murder, per abc.net.au. He has now been sentenced to 18 years in prison.

He will be eligible for parole in 2043, according to The Brisbane Times.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.