Professional water-polo player stabbed his multi-millionaire girlfriend to death in her Montenegro penthouse after she dumped him for being too lazy to work

  • Anastasia Lashmanova, 33, was found dead in her luxury apartment in 2018
  • Her boyfriend, Arsenije Stanovic quickly became the prime suspect and fled 
  • He was arrested in Montenegro and has been sentenced to 15 years in prison 
  • Reason for multi-millionaire business woman's murder remains unknown
  • Mother said she'd dumped Stanovic who 'was not interested in working'
  • Local media have long suggested ties to a local organised crime gang as a possible explanation for Lashmanova's massive wealth
  • The former waitress was estimated to be worth £89.5million

A professional water polo player has been jailed for 15 years after stabbing his multi-millionaire girlfriend to death who reportedly dumped him for being 'too lazy'. 

Anastasia Lashmanova, 33, was found dead in her apartment in Montenegro in 2018 after a friend had been unable to reach her for several hours.

Firefighters broke down the door to the luxury penthouse in the southwestern town of Dobrota to find a gruesome scene that reportedly caused police officers to vomit. 

The apartment was covered in blood and it was eventually determined that Lashmanova,a Ukrainian businesswoman, had been stabbed 16 times, and had suffered 10 blows to the head, leaving her almost unrecognisable.

Her boyfriend, Arsenije Stanovic, 25, quickly became the prime suspect and fled the country with the assistance of his father, Zoran.

Anastasia Lashmanova, a Ukrainian multi-millionaire, was found dead in her apartment in 2018

Anastasia Lashmanova, a Ukrainian multi-millionaire, was found dead in her apartment in 2018

Lashmanova's boyfriend Arsenije Stanovic (right) has been jailed for 15 years for the brutal murder

Lashmanova's boyfriend Arsenije Stanovic (right) has been jailed for 15 years for the brutal murder

Lashmanova was a waitress turned multimillionaire, who was estimated to be worth £89.5million at the time of her death

Lashmanova was a waitress turned multimillionaire, who was estimated to be worth £89.5million at the time of her death

It was alleged that Zoran used his connections as a former head of the Border Police to secret his son across the border to Albania. 

Local media reported that father and son were arrested by Albanian authorities who handed them over to Montenegro. No charges were filed against Zoran. 

Stanovic was subsequently tried and sentenced to 15 years in prison for the brutal murder.

His lawyer, Zoran Piperovic, is appealing the sentence on mental health grounds, according to local media. 

During the trial, Lashmanova's mother, Svetlana Libert, said her daughter had ended her three-year relationship with Stanovic because he 'was not interested in working.'

The exact reason for Lashmanova's murder remains unclear and there has long been speculation in local media about possible gang ties.

The luxury apartment where she lived is located next to a building owned by Jovan and Igor Vukotic - leaders of the 'scarecrow' clan - an organised criminal network operating throughout the Balkans and southern Europe.

The exact reason for Lashmanova's murder remains unclear and there has long been speculation in local media about possible gang ties

The exact reason for Lashmanova's murder remains unclear and there has long been speculation in local media about possible gang ties

Local media have linked Lashmanova to the Vukotics and other Montenegrin criminals in an attempt to explain her huge, and rapidly-acquired, wealth Pictured: Police arrest Stanovic

Local media have linked Lashmanova to the Vukotics and other Montenegrin criminals in an attempt to explain her huge, and rapidly-acquired, wealth Pictured: Police arrest Stanovic 

Local media have linked Lashmanova to the Vukotics and other Montenegrin criminals in an attempt to explain her huge, and rapidly-acquired, wealth 

Lashmanova was a waitress turned multimillionaire, who was estimated to be worth £89.5million at the time of her death.

She had been almost penniless when she moved to Montenegro 10 years ago but that all changed after she connected with Valery Zadorin, a Russian oligarch who is rumoured to have financed the business empire she created.

Lashmanova rose to become director of the Mimoza Group, owner of three luxury restaurants, a beauty salon and an apartment complex. 

When asked by the court, Libert, Lashmanova's mother, said she did not know how her daughter had accumulated her wealth. 

Stanovic had been signed on contract with the Primorac water polo club and also played for the national team in Montenegro.