Lawyer for paramedic murder suspect Gaigalaitė prepares appeal: do not judge before trial

The defence lawyer for Justina Gaigalaitė, the former wife of murdered paramedic Mantas Sadauskas, will challenge a court decision to remand her in custody, LRT reports.

Vaidotas Sviderskis, Gaigalaitė’s attorney, confirmed he would file an appeal against the two-month pre-trial detention ordered by Panevėžys District Court last week. “The decision exists, and such will be the appeal,” he told the ELTA news agency.

Sviderskis declined to specify which alternative measure he would request but urged the public not to rush to conclusions. He emphasised the principle of presumption of innocence, stating, “Everyone talks about ‘presumption of innocence,’ but then they pass judgment anyway. Here, the presumption of innocence should prevail—do not convict before the trial.”

“Law enforcement finds itself in a position where, of course, there is a certain suspicion, many doubts,” he added. “But to determine whether that suspicion is justified, time is needed. My message is: let all emotions settle. Let law enforcement do its work—gather evidence, information—and only then can we assess things with clearer eyes.”

Gaigalaitė, who denies guilt in Sadauskas’s killing, was remanded for two months on suspicion of murder and unlawful deprivation of liberty. Two other suspects—Ilja Solkan and Vilius Solkan—received differing rulings: Solkan was released on €5,000 bail, while Vilius Solkan was detained for two months.

Sadauskas’s body was discovered last Tuesday on a property in Panevėžys district, wrapped in a trampoline and buried. Investigators suspect personal conflicts as a possible motive. The victim, who also ran a trampoline rental business, had reported receiving an order to deliver equipment to a nonexistent kindergarten before his disappearance.