A DECEITFUL killer wailed how he was ‘always gentle’ after murdering his wife and staging it to look like suicide.
The case of Mohamed Samak, who killed his 49-year-old wife Joanne, featured on the new BBC series of Murder 24/7 on Tuesday night (July 21).
The series follows West Mercia Police officers and detectives as they investigate serious crimes.
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Monday's programme showed bodycam footage from police as they arrived on the scene at their home at Chestnut Spinney in Droitwich during the early hours of July 1, 2024.
Officers attended the scene where Samak claimed he had found his wife on the floor with a knife in her tummy – he suggested the injuries were self-inflicted.
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Audiences were taken through police officers' initial assessment at the scene, which did not add up to Samak’s accounts of events.
It led to him initially being arrested on suspicion of murder and wailing “I'm always gentle” and “how could I do that”.
The show then cuts to Samak in custody with DCI Layton Harding and 20 other detectives, leaving no stone unturned.
DCI Harding admitted in the show that he was “baffled as to why and how this has happened” and the difficulty of piecing together scenes that took place behind closed doors.
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The pair had no history of a violent relationship with family and friends, suggesting they were a “happy and normal family” during first interviews.
Yet, detectives also built a strong case suggesting Mrs Samak was a happy woman who was planning for her future, which went against Samak’s narrative.
In never-before-seen footage of the police interrogation, viewers watched as Samak broke down and excused himself to answer certain questions about the murder.
He had repeatedly changed his narrative throughout the investigation, telling officers: “I didn’t mean to lie.
“I was scared, and the circumstances were out of my control.”
It follows questioning where police revealed Samak had “sat there and watched Joanne die on the floor”.
Turning point in investigation
Samak was charged with murder, but when it went to Worcester Crown Court initially it was a hung jury.
It was only when bloodied clothes were uncovered in the house during the second trial that it potentially sealed his conviction.
The 43-year-old was convicted following a five-week retrial at Worcester Crown Court and was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 19 years and 247 days .
‘Hardworking and devoted mother’
Mrs Samak was described as a loving and funny woman in the documentary by family and friends.
Her hairdresser, from Enso in Worcester, had known Mrs Samak for 17 years and described her as an “easy” person who “always seemed happy”.
She added: “She seemed like a lovely mum – so caring and attentive.”
Mrs Samak’s brother also shared how their family never thought she was unsafe and there is now a hole that will never be filled in his heart.
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