The brother of a man charged with more than a dozen domestic violence-related offences after his estranged partner was found dead has flown into a rage at a Daily Mail Australia reporter, hurling obscenities and mouthing threats.
Tatiana ‘Tania’ Dokhotaru, 34, was found dead inside her Liverpool unit, in Sydney’s south-west, about 8pm on Saturday – almost 24 hours after she called triple-0 begging for help alleging her partner was ‘bashing’ her.
Her devastated parents Olga Dokhotaru and Dennis Thievin have hit out at the slow police response, suggesting she might still be alive if officers had made it to her apartment the night she rang for help.
Ms Dokhotaru’s estranged partner Danny Zayat, 28, was arrested at the scene on Saturday and has been charged with a litany of offences – including choking and breaching an AVO – which allegedly occurred in the lead up to her death.
He was refused bail at court on Monday and it is understood his and Ms Dokhotaru’s son – who marked his fourth birthday just hours after his mother’s body was found – is currently in the care of Zayat’s parents.
Three four-tonne trucks were seen parked across the patchy front lawn of Zayat’s sprawling two-storey family home in Colyton, in western Sydney, on Tuesday, where it is understood he was living with his parents Jamile and Brian and brother Mark.
Danny Zayat’s brother Mark (pictured) unleashed on a Daily Mail Australia reporter on Tuesday, demanding she ‘f*** off’
Danny Zayat has been charged with a raft of domestic violence offences after his former partner Tatiana ‘Tania’ Dokhotaru, 34, was found dead on Saturday. The pair are pictured together in 2021
Appearing at the door of the home where scattered chairs, dusty work boots and construction equipment line the entrance, a shirtless Mark Zayat refused to answer questions about his sibling’s charges or whether the family would be standing by him.
Instead, he launched into an aggressive foul-mouthed rant.
‘F*** off, get out of my house,’ the heavily-tattooed tradesman said.
‘If you come back round here again… f*** off!’
He then went inside the home and put on a shirt before taking a seat outside the front door. From there, he stared down the reporter and continued to shout threats.
‘Come back here again and I’ll….’
It comes as the alleged victim’s grief-stricken parents questioned why it took so long for police to find their daughter.
Police have stated that officers failed to make it to her unit because the emergency call did not include enough information such as the apartment number.
But Ms Dokhotaru’s father Mr Thievin insists more could have been done.
Tania’s parents Olga Dokhotaru and Denis Thievin (pictured with Tania, left) have slammed the police response and suggested she might still be alive if they had got to her apartment quicker
‘Had they responded in a timely manner, Tania may be alive today,’ he told 7News.
‘Surely it could have been done better than it was.’
The parents, who live in Canada, found out about their daughter’s death through social media after realising something was ‘wrong’ when they did not hear from her for a few days.
In the past, they had begged her to go to the police over Zayat’s alleged behaviour.
Her mother paid tribute to Ms Dokhotaru, describing her as a ‘happy, strong woman’.
‘I’m lost, big time…I never, never would expect to hear news (of her death),’ said the mother as she fought back tears.
Meanwhile, forensic investigators on Tuesday were seen scouring the rooftops of neighbouring buildings to the Pinnacle apartment complex as the search for evidence continues.
The development comes as new photos have surfaced of Zayat and Ms Dokhotaru during happier times.
One picture shows Zayat embracing his then heavily pregnant partner, tenderly placing one hand on her belly, as the couple posed for a photo at their baby shower in 2019.
A newly surfaced photo shows the couple lovingly embracing in colour-coordinated outfits at their 2019 baby shower
Several trucks were parked across the front of the Zayat’s family home on Tuesday
Mark Zayat proceeded to glare at the reporter from a chair outside the house while muttering to himself after yelling threats
Another shot taken in early 2021 shows Ms Dokhotaru sitting on his lap with one arm draped around his shoulder as they dined out at a fancy restaurant.
In an ironic turn of events, just six months ago, Zayat had bragged that he was destined to become the best version of himself this year as he strived to met his fitness goals.
‘2023 my year to shine,’ the gym junkie said.
‘I will come back bigger and more condition [sic] than ever #bodybuilding.’
Images plastered across Zayat’s social media pages show him shirtless, flexing his biceps, or posing alongside friends, decked out in designer clothing.
Reception staff at TrainStation Gym 24/7, in St Marys, confirmed that Danny Zayat used to be a longtime member.
‘We are aware of that individual you’re referring to but he no longer trains here, he started going to another gym about two months ago.’
The staff member said Ms Dokhotaru also trained at the same gym around six years ago but was no longer a member.
Police were at first unable to locate which flat Ms Dokhotaru was in in the massive, 297-unit apartment block
Forensic investigators were seen scouring the rooftops of neighbouring buildings to the Pinnacle apartment complex as the search for evidence continues
Tatiana Dokhotaru (right) is pictured with her mother Olga Dokhotaru (left)
The staff member added: ‘It’s tragic what’s [allegedly] happened to her.’
Police will allege in court that a frantic Ms Dokhotaru had called for help about 11:40pm on Sunday and said: ‘He’s bashing me … my husband’s taking all the money from my house,’ the Daily Telegraph reported.
Ms Dokhotaru did not leave her name and only provided the street number for the apartment complex, which has 297 units.
Three hours after receiving the triple-0 call, police arrived at the scene but left soon after when they could not determine her unit number.
A critical incident investigation has been launched over why police did not act with more urgency to the ‘priority three’ emergency call.
Zayat has not been charged in relation to her death but is assisting detectives with their inquiries into what led to her passing.
He told police the couple had argued because she had taken drugs and was intoxicated.
He is accused of punching a television during an argument with Ms Dokhotaru on the night of her death.
Two officers are pictured sitting out the front of Ms Dokhotaru’s unit in Liverpool on Monday
Ms Dokhotaru’s friends broke down in tears as they placed tributes outside her apartment block on Monday
But Zayat said he left the apartment at midnight on Friday before returning on Saturday when Ms Dokhotaru did not return his calls.
A witness called triple-0 after hearing distressed cries of ‘help me’ and Zayat called an ambulance. Police arrested him when they arrived.
His lawyer said it was a ‘tragic set of circumstances’ and added he would be applying for release on bail when he appears in court later this week.
Friends told Daily Mail Australia on Monday Ms Dokhotaru, a Russian national who migrated Down Under around 10 years ago, was a ‘beautiful and hardworking’ mum.
They said she last week returned from a seven-day holiday in Thailand with her son and had just launched an online business renting out designer clothing for some side cash while she cared for her little boy fulltime.
Ms Dokhotaru had just launched a designer brand rental business in the days before her death
The mother-of-one has been remembered as ‘beautiful’ and ‘hardworking’
‘He was a mummy’s boy. She did everything for him. They were always together,’ one friend said.
A neighbour also reported hearing her child making a ‘distressed’ scream about 2pm on Saturday – around six hours before her body was discovered.
Ms Dokhotaru’s death has sparked public outrage, with many people flocking online to condemn the handling of her distressed call for help.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said the response time of the police to Ms Dokhotaru’s triple-O call was ‘very concerning’ but called for calm to allow the police to conduct their investigation into the ‘traumatic incident’.
Zayat is next due to appear before Liverpool Local Court on Friday.
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