King's Lynn woman who killed mother given life sentence
She will serve a minimum of 18 years in prison
Last updated 17th Apr 2023
A woman from King's Lynn who killed a mother- after stabbing her 16 times- last April, has been given a life sentence.
Birute Klicneliene, who's 51, of Sir Lewis Street in King’s Lynn was sentenced at Norwich Crown Court today.
She will serve a minimum of 18 years in prison.
What happened?
Police were called to the first floor flat in Highgate, King’s Lynn, shortly after 12.30am on Saturday 16 April 2022 after the ambulance service reported a woman – later identified as Dace Kalkerte - had been stabbed and wasn’t breathing.
Dace was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn with multiple stab wounds but sadly, she never regained conscious and died at 2.28am on Saturday 16 April 2022.
A Home Office post-mortem later established she had sustained 16 stab and puncture wounds and nine incised wounds, including defensive injuries to her right hand, and had died from a single stab wound to her stomach.
The Trial:
In November last year, the court heard how Klicneliene and Dace Kalkerte returned to Dace’s first floor flat in Highgate on the evening of Friday 15 April 2022 after drinking at an allotment in the town with their partners.
Their partners remained at the allotment after the women left.
When initially interviewed by police, Klicneliene denied murdering Dace and said she had fallen asleep when the women returned to the flat.
She claimed she initially thought Dace – who was lying on the floor when she woke up - was drunk and it was only when she picked her up that she realised Dace was losing blood.
Klicneliene told detectives she may have touched the blood-stained knife when she moved her and blamed the murder on an unidentified man.
The trial heard that the police completed extensive CCTV enquiries and obtained many witness statements, yet there wasn’t any evidence to suggest an unidentified person in the flat at the time of the murder who was responsible for Dace’s death.
Forensic analysis of the murder scene showed traces of diluted blood in the bathroom of the flat. There wasn’t any evidence of blood from the top of the stairway to the communal front door, which suggested nobody had left the scene of the murder. And, there wasn’t any sign of forced entry to Dace’s flat.
A knife containing traces of Dace’s blood on the blade and Klicneliene’s DNA on the handle was also recovered from the scene.
When officers first arrived at the flat after the 999 call was made, Klicneliene’s clothing was stained with blood, but her hands were clean.
Klicneliene was arrested on suspicion of murder in the early hours of Saturday 16 April 2022 and charged with Dace’s murder on Monday 18 April 2022.
"Mercifully, incidents like this are rare in Norfolk"
Following today’s sentencing, Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Chris Burgess said:
“Klicneliene used a knife to murder Dace – a woman she had met only a few hours’ earlier and who had invited her into her home – in a sustained and brutal attack.
"She has always denied murdering Dace and we may never know why she inflicted such deliberate and directed violence, but it has no place in our society.
“Mercifully, incidents like this are rare in Norfolk and today, my thoughts remain with Dace’s family who continue to grieve their loss; they have shown incredible bravery throughout this ordeal and I thank them for their support at this very difficult time. We will continue to support them for as long as they need us.”