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Igor Goncharuk was finally arrested in January, 2000 on suspicion of homicide. Roxana Yani was not charged with any crime because in the Ukraine conspiracy to committ murder is not illegal. The child that she claims was fathered by Mr. Hughes has been proven (through DNA testing) to be fathered by Igor. In fact, it is doubtful that the marriage between Roxana and Mr. Hughes was ever a legal one at all since by Ukrainian legal standards, Roxana and Igor were common law married for a period of at least 7 years.
October, 2000, a Ukrainian judge refused to hear the Prosecutors case against Igor. The Prosecution appealed, but Igor is now out of jail pending the decision of the appellate court. He has also been allegedly diagnosed as having Hepatitis C and therefore the prosecutors office refuses to move forward until he is well. Since Hepatitis C is a terminal illness, it is unlikely that he will ever be tried.
Regrettably Roxana's grandmother, Galina Platanova, and a strong witness against the evil duo, recently passed away. There will be no testimony from this brave lady.
Why are Roxana and Igor not in jail. I don't think any American citizen can understand this situation. It is true that there are no witnesses, none other than those who committed this atrocity, but there are the letters from my father. There are the lies about Igor and Roxana's true relationship. The lie about the grandmother's heart attack. The broken glasses. The smashed computer. The cover story told to relatives saying my father was in America. And then of course, there is the missing money.
For years, Roxana has declared that there is no money, but recently, she retained a law firm in the Ukraine and the United States to probate his estate. Apparantly, there must be some money or there would be no attempts to probate the estate.
Really, how convenient this all is. Roxana and Igor have an answer for everything, but in light of all the facts, does anyone really believe that they did not conspire to kill and then murder my father? Roxana and Igor are either guilty, or the unluckiest people alive. But how unlucky can we think they are when they are living in a fine home with hundreds of thousands of dollars in bank accounts. Roxana's own family believes that she plotted to rob my father and to kill him.
I am completely baffled by the Ukrainian Judicial System. In America, people who are suspected of a homicide are arrested and then a jury of 12 people listen to the facts and decide if they are guilty or not guilty. It is rare for a murder investigation to go on for so many months when the police have known suspects and sufficient evidence to call for a trial. In my opinion, not only Igor, but Roxana too should be charged with the murder of my father and then a Ukrainian court should hear the evidence. If they are found guilty, then they should go to prison. If they are found not guilty, then this entire matter will be behind us all. Unfortunately, Maple C. Hughes, Jr. will still be dead.
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