True Crime with Kimbyr - The Walk That Ended in Horror: The Heartbreaking Murder of Sabina Nessa : Part 3

Episode Date: June 2, 2025

Justice for Sabina Nessa takes center stage in Part 3 of True Crime with Kimbyr. Kimbyrleigha reveals how detectives finally closed in on their suspect—and the shocking background of the man responsible. With emotional testimony, courtroom drama, and public outrage, this episode unpacks how the trial unfolded and why this case sparked a nationwide conversation about violence against women. What was the motive—and could this tragedy have been prevented? Find out in the powerful conclusion to this heartbreaking story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So he suggested that they get into his back seat and he climbs back there and tries to convince her to join him. But Ionela felt tricked. It made her feel disgusted that it seemed like all he wanted to do was sleep with her. And the thought of having sex with him was appalling at this point. She realized that this whole conversation was pointless. And she knew in that moment he was never going to change. And she did not want to take him back. So she leaves without speaking another word to him.

And when she gets back into the hotel, that is when her boss informed. her about the altercation in the lobby earlier that day and that Cochee was actually booked into a room there. This makes her very uneasy. She explained that he appeared very agitated when they met in the parking lot. She wasn't sure what was bothering him, but he was acting strange from the moment they met up. This is when Sussex police were contacted. It was around 4.40 p.m. A hotel staff member said they wanted to report an unruly guest and explained that there had been a disagreement between Kochi Selimaj and the reception desk at the hotel, and that initially it was in regard to him not wanting to pay for his room. In addition, Ionella explained everything that I just told you

that her estranged husband was staying at the hotel, and it made her feel uncomfortable. It was clear, Cochi wasn't there for a luxurious getaway. He was there for her. He knew the only place that he could access Ionella without her being able to escape or get away from him in any way was at work, because she wasn't going to risk her job. The staff went on to explain to police that he had been hanging around the lobby pretending to read a newspaper or look at tourist pamphlets,

but then he was watching and waiting for Ionella. It wasn't just Ionella who felt uneasy. Cochee would leer at other women who walked through the lobby and he would stare them up and down without trying to hide what he was doing. Cochie's behavior made the staff and the guests at the hotel very uncomfortable,

but no matter how many times they told him to please stop doing it, he would come back and do it again. So now things are coming together, sort of. At least they now know that things were not good in the marriage between Ionela and Cochee. And even though Cochie was creating a nuisance at the hotel, he wasn't technically doing anything illegal.

So the police considered the altercation resolved and they did not send an officer out to the hotel. Things seemed to be okay after this because Ionella saw Cochee drive off in his Nissan away from the premises and figured that maybe he, he would just go home and not come back. And instead, when the police traced where his vehicle went next

through the cell phone data and ANPR records, around 5 p.m., he drove to Brighton. Now, I want you to recall this picture and caption on Ionella's Facebook profile. It mentioned them going on a date in Brighton. So maybe this was his way of reminiscing about the good times. Or maybe it was something much more sinister. Brighton is 30 miles away.

and he was just driving up and down the streets aimlessly back and forth, like he was stalking someone, waiting for someone or targeting them, but who? Presumably a victim. To investigators, it seemed like Kochi decided that he needed to satisfy his craving for sex. Ionella had rejected his advances, so he was determined to find someone who couldn't say no. Was he looking for someone specific, or was he just randomly scouting for a potential victim, a woman, alone, unsuspecting, that he could just take advantage of? Now I noticed this area was mostly residential,

but there were also some parks and green areas where you could hide and a college nearby, the University of Brighton. Perhaps he was prowling for a university student, which is terrifying. The dorm residential buildings are really easy to access the right off the main road with dense woods behind them.

But maybe it was too bright outside at the time, and too many people were around for him to carry out an attack. Instead, it seems like he decided to try to increase his his odds, so he heads to London, where there is a population of 10 million people. London. Another place where he and I Anella posed for a picture, which she posted on her Facebook page in Happier Times. Is it a coincidence? Who knows? Maybe these were the two places he had ever gone? We don't know. But for whatever reason, he targets the South London area of Kidbrook, an hour and a half away. And he arrives in the area around 741. His car is captured on

traffic cameras entering town. And minutes later, his car pulls into Pegler Square, where it was first spotted during the investigation. Next, they locate CCTV for all the businesses that were open at the time, and they catch a glimpse of him entering the Sainsbury supermarket at 7.46 p.m. This is just 200 feet away from where he parked. At this point, Innocent Sabina is getting ready at her apartment just streets away from where this man is planning his attack. How do we know that's what he's doing?

Well, I think it's obvious just by his prowling behavior, but it gets more morbid. The interior CCTV catches Cochi in the kitchenware aisle. He's clearly on a mission to pick out a weapon, to aid him in this quest to render an unsuspecting woman unconscious so they can have his way with her. He looks at all the options, literally scratching his head wondering what he should choose, and finally, he grabs a rolling pin. You know, what you usually use to roll dough? and he slaps it in his hand, testing out its force.

But then he puts it back and continues walking down the aisle still looking. But minutes later, he comes back, retrieves the rolling pin again, kind of feeling it, seeing if it'll do. He takes a few last looks around before he grabs an energy drink and chili powder, then checks out with those three items and a bag. The evidence even showed that he used his bank card at the store. He didn't even bother to use cash. Investigators believe these were pretty odd items to buy together,

but maybe he was going to throw the pepper in someone's face. The energy drink, well, he's about to attack someone, so I guess that made sense. He needs a little extra energy. It's pretty sickening. And we're watching someone plan a murder. Just remember that as he's walking down these aisles, he knew exactly what he was going to do.

And it actually makes me sick, thinking about how he's calm and collected. Like, this was just an ordinary shopping trip. He goes back to his car, he opens the trunk to retrieve his hoodie, and that's when he sees something better inside. He leaves the rolling pin in the trunk, and he pulls out a traffic triangle from the bottom of that trunk area. It's one of those emergency reflective traffic triangles used to alert other drivers that they're approaching an unexpected stationary vehicle. This is a common piece of road safety equipment found in most vehicles in the UK. Now, you might be a little confused because wouldn't it be obvious?

Well, when these are unfolded and set up, they do form a 3D triangle, and they're pretty sizable. The base is typically weighted or stabilized to ensure it remains upright, but they come packaged in a flat, compact shape like this if you're watching. They're folded down into a straight line about two feet in length, and they have a bit of weight to them, four pounds to be exact, definitely heavier than that rolling pin and they're made of metal. He kept it folded. That's what was in his hand, causing the glimmer in the park at night. And that was what was captured on CCTV in Pegler Square when he returned with it in his hands, it's red. Now his choice to grab the triangle,

instead of going with a rolling pin, ultimately gave him away. At 8.08 p.m. he enters the park, a whole 22 minutes before the attack. He's seen on camera just walking around looking for a victim. He's a predator looking for prey. He's got his hood up over his head, and he's hiding and waiting

for a woman that's walking alone, and that's when he sees Sabina, and you know the rest. He hit her 34 times with this hard, rigid metal traffic triangle with such force that it began to unfold, and he continued hitting her with it until part of it broke. Then he left the park just before 9 p.m. He walked back to his car, put the triangle in his trunk, and then he drove away to Eastbourne, back to the Grand Hotel, like nothing happened. He's seen on lobby footage four minutes after midnight, returning with his duffel bag and heading to his room. They got him.

He had the same sweatshirt and black shoes with the white soles on during the check-in at the lobby, at the supermarket, and in the footage in Pegler Square. It's him. It's obvious it's him. But now they have to prove it with enough evidence. He killed an innocent woman because he was rejected by a estranged wife. And he wanted to pleasure himself, and take his anger out.

It's disgusting. I couldn't sleep for days after researching this case because I could imagine being Sabina, just walking in my local park on my way to meet a friend and being caught off guard like that? How horrifying that must have been. How painful and scary. And there's no reason that this should be happening to us,

no reason for someone to lose their daughter like this. Cochie checked out of his hotel the next day. He went to work. like nothing happened. And for nine days, he acted normal. And he thought he got away with it. He thought he planned well, a faraway place, an alibi at the hotel, even his wife saw him.

He took Sabina's clothing, he wiped down the bench. But, sir, you forgot you had a digital footprint. Police showed up at Cochie's apartment in the early morning hours of September 26th with an arrest warrant, and they took him into custody. And once in custody, suspects are allowed to be kept for 24 hours until police have enough evidence to hold them longer. Then it can be extended to 36, 48, and then 96, if police have the authority.

So there was a lot of pressure for them to find the murder weapon, and the clothing he was wearing, and most of all, Sabina's DNA. But with all the time that it passed, they didn't expect to find any of that. But when they searched his apartment, they located the exact black, sketcher sneakers with a thick white sole. and the sweatsuit that he was wearing on the night of the murder, it was actually in the dryer. Now it did already go through a wash cycle, but at least they had it to compare it to the footage. But they had something better.

Sabina's blood was found on the sneakers. A very tiny little droplet on the sole that Cochie probably didn't think was still there. They also located the rolling pin in his trunk, but they still couldn't locate the weapon or Sabina's missing clothing. Detectives got in touch with Ionella. and she was interviewed.

And she explained that she had no idea that Cochie was being tracked by police. She said she came by the apartment the night before to retrieve some things and possibly talk to him about their breakup. But she told police that when she saw him, his face was different. He hardly wanted to talk to her. He wouldn't let her inside. And she noticed he was wearing new shoes. Now, he didn't have a lot of money to spend on things like that.

That was a luxury for him. So it was definitely something noticeable that he had. a brand new pair of shoes. You would think he would throw the other pair away. Maybe he just hadn't gotten to it yet. But now it was her turn to speak to detectives about what she knew. Ionella told them that after they were married,

things changed and she experienced his increasingly erratic behavior firsthand. Things had gotten even worse the last year when Cochie began to pressure her to move to London, but at the time he was delivering pizzas, and she didn't think they could afford to move, so she refused. That is when he changed. He became cold, aggressive, and then violent.

Neighbors even recall hearing loud arguments when they first moved in. But over the next few months, it got worse. He had strangled her on three separate occasions. The first time was when Ionella didn't answer one of his calls. He just began yelling at her, saying, why didn't you answer your phone? She said she was just in bed,

and she was shocked when he came at her. But then he snapped out of it, and he let her go. But he never apologized. apologized. And the next time was when he found out that she had spoken to an ex of hers. The final time he tried to hurt her was when she came home from work and brought him home some food that she knew he liked. But instead of being thankful, he was dismissive and aggressive, and she didn't know why. She didn't know why he was treating her so badly. She felt like he hated her. They weren't sleeping in the same bed anymore. They weren't eating together in the house. And later,

when he returned from his late shift at work, he didn't say a word, But he just ran at her, put his hands around her neck, and started to choke her and she thought she was going to die. He throttled her. He got her to the point where she would almost pass out, or she would actually pass out. And then he would let her come to, and for some reason he stopped before ever killing her.

The last time he did this was in August, when she finally decided she wanted to leave him for good. She was so scared. She stayed with him out of fear, and she said she didn't go to police because she didn't think they were going to believe her, because she didn't have any visible marks on her, no bruises and no witnesses. And now she feels lucky to be alive.

But she was struggling to come to terms with feelings of guilt, for not having done something to stop him so he didn't hurt someone else. And she didn't understand why he would choose an innocent girl. She never thought he would get to the point where he would be capable of murdering her or anyone else. Physical, yes, killing someone, no. She said that she had little bit of her. to no contact with him for the past six weeks until he asked her to meet him on September 17th. And when she met with him, she said he was very anxious and impatient, and she never saw him like that

before. She also noticed a bottle of alcohol in his car and she could smell it on his breath. He wasn't drunk at the time, but he was acting very strangely. Well, it's all beginning to make a lot more sense now. As investigators were buttoning up all their evidence to present it to the prosecution, they realized something. While they were looking at the route he took back home from Kidbrook following the murder, there were eight minutes unaccounted for, and they realized that Cochee went off course. He took a detour on a country road in Tunbridge Wells close to the River Tees. When he passed a farmhouse out there, his car was actually caught on camera.

They realized he most likely stopped in this area to throw evidence into the river. So they get divers out there. They get the Kent Fire and Rescue Service to help them search around Dunedale Road. They want to find anything within throwing distance in the water. They use magnets to search the riverbed and eventually they get a hit. They actually found the traffic triangle. I know. This is great detective work. It's outstanding. They already have him, but this has just added more evidence to solidify a conviction. Now upon his arrest, he was provided with the translator because he didn't speak English very well. The investigators are pressing him to tell him why he did this,

but he won't utter a word. He was calm and collected, and he wasn't willing to talk. And I don't know what the laws are there, but here it's your right to remain silent. However, he denied any involvement in Sabina's death, and he refused to answer any of their questions. And at the time, he wasn't officially charged yet, so they weren't able to leverage anything to get a confession.

But once he was in his cell, they could see him with his head in his hands, pacing up and down. And they think at this point what he did was finally beginning, to sink in. On September 27th, the Crown Prosecution presented all their evidence, and he was charged with murder, at which point he put his head in his hands, and then it seemed like he wanted to make a deal. He asked through his interpreter, What will happen to me if I open up now and say everything? But he was cautioned not to speak. His defense attorney did let the

court know. His client planned to plead not guilty at the preliminary hearing on September 30th, and that is what he did. There's much more to tell you about what he did, what he said, what he did admit, what he didn't. But before I do, I really want to touch on the second vigil. They put on a second candlelight vigil for Sabina on October 5th following Cochie's arrest. This time, to make a bold statement,

hundreds of people gathered in Eastbourne where the killer resided. And in attendance was his estranged wife, Ionella. She was seen bawling in the middle of the crowd and muttering under her breath through, that it should have been her. It should have been her that was dead, not Sabina. Kind people around her comforted her.

And when they realized who it was, one woman allowed her to sob on her shoulder and kept hugging her. And Ionela just kept saying she doesn't understand what Cochee had against Sabina and that it would have made much more sense if he had killed her, not Sabina. I do feel awful for her.

She held a lot of guilt for not doing more when she had the chance. And she was so ashamed to be the wife of a killer. She could barely make it out her front door. And eventually she moved back to Romania. Then on October 23rd, which would have been Sabina's 29th birthday, her family got together and they released balloons to celebrate her life. Everyone in attendance was given packets of sunflower seeds to plant because that was Sabina's favorite flower and her sister Jabina said they're bright and they stand up tall just like Sabina. She also said that since what happened,

she now has to think twice about going out and it's changed. her perspective on everything. Mentioning that she finds the pain of Sabina's death unbearable. She said, quote, people say I'm so sorry for your loss, and that time is a healer, but it's not. It's a load of rubbish. It gets no easier.

I want her to walk in the door, but it's never going to happen again." End quote. To honor Sabina, plans were made to design a garden in her name where the children from her school can remember her. They also wanted to create a positive association with green spaces like parks and gardens. so that these children won't associate them with their teacher's death and be fearful of such spaces.

Lisa Williams, the headteacher said, quote, I know very much she would have wanted her children not to be tainted by this. She was young, she was beautiful, and she was an optimist. She would have wanted her children to be full of life and ambition and to support them to get through it. End quote. However, Lisa also pointed out that they would need to talk to the children about safety and how to spot danger, and all the other important things that will hopefully protect them from harm, and that's not going to be easy.

They're so young, and they should be able to be free to play outdoors with their friends and not think about danger. But that, unfortunately, is the world that we live in. It's not always safe, which is truly sad. But now let me tell you what transpired at the next hearing on December 16th. At this point, Cochie admitted to rendering Sabrina unconscious,

but said that he did not kill her. So it appeared that he was planning to use a mental health defense. But the prosecution was one step ahead of him. They were like, nope, that's not going to fly. Not with all the planning that went into this crime. And by January 27th, Cochi's attorney said that he does not dispute that he is responsible for killing Sabina Nessa. He doesn't dispute the facts of the case presented by the prosecution except that it was sexually motivated. Yeah. He was having a really hard time admitting that part. I wonder why.

He admitted that he was the attacker, but he made it clear that he did not accept that they were saying he removed some of Sabina's clothing, that he raised her skirt up, or that she was exposed. Okay? So how did those things happen? If it wasn't him, then who was it? Some kind of second perpetrator just walking by the scene and coming upon her in the bushes, come on. And he never elaborated about why he would have even attacked Sabina to begin with. The trial was then set for June of 2022. But on February 14th, the defense indicated that Kochi would finally be pleading guilty to murder at the hearing on the 25th of February, and that is what he did. His sentencing was scheduled for April 8th, and guess what? He decided he didn't want to show his face. He didn't want to show up for Sabina's family, and all the other people that he knew would be staring him down.

So he remained in his jail cell, like the coward that he is. Sabina's family members gave very moving victim impact statements with Jabina saying, the Kochi is an awful human being and doesn't deserve his name to be said, that he's a disgusting animal. And I want to add, I think an animal is too nice of a way to describe him because animals are more civilized. He's a monster. He's evil. Her family added that Sabina had every right

to be walking through the park all glammed up and going to enjoy herself after a long week at work. Her parents said that he had every right. He had no right to take her away from them in such a cruel way. And that Cochie robbed her and them of her life, and they wanted it to be known that she was an amazing role model who defied all norms. She strove to be independent and was powerful, fearless,

bright, and an amazing soul. And she died in a way that no one should. And that will torment them all and Sabina's friends for the rest of their lives. Now it was time for both sides, the prosecution and defense, to argue what the sentence should be. with the defense bringing in any mitigating factors. And there were some legal mitigating factors,

maybe we wouldn't agree should be mitigating, but the fact that he had no criminal record, for example, that is a real legal way to mitigate, that this was his first offense, per se, that they know about at least. And of course, his upbringing and things like that. But when they were finished, the judge stated that in the absence of any explanation

from Mr. Salamage about why he attacked Sabina, he was going to defer to the prosecutor argument that it was sexually motivated, especially with all of the evidence, at which point the defense attorney said that their client offered no challenge to the prosecution's case. So essentially, he accepts it. He accepts that he attacked her, he killed her, and it was sexually motivated. But he still would not provide any details or explanation for his actions. His defense ended with a statement that their client simply accepted that he had done it and

noted that Coach he had given him no instructions to express any remorse on his. his behalf, which goes to show you how heartless he really is. And of course, as it can be expected, the sentencing did not bring Sabina's family any closure other than knowing that Cochie would be behind bars. The judge ultimately sentenced him to a minimum of 36 years in prison, but I got to say, that's all? Because even though he's been deemed dangerous, he did this heinous attack on someone, he still has a chance at parole in his 70s. That's shocking to me, that he can still live a life after taking someone else's this way. But I gotta tell you, he's probably never going to get out because within a year, he attacked two prison guards. They came to investigate

some commotion in his cell, and he brutally attacked one of them with a piece of the toilet. It broke off. It was a piece of porcelain. He actually managed to stab that officer in the right thigh and in the arm before more staff members came to subdue him, and then that's when he punched another officer in the face, adding more time to a sentence, and of course again, showing how dangerous this man really is. While in prison, Cochee's 73-year-old dad Bash Kim and his sister Jolanda tried to visit him multiple times, and his dad even begged him to tell him why he killed Sabina,

but Cochee refused to leave his cell and meet with them. His father spoke to the media and said, quote, Cochee has a strong character, but now he's realizing what he has done, and is shameful, and that shame stops him for meeting with his family, end quote. He actually cut his family off completely, but his dad still try to make contact with him.

saying that he'd like to know from coaching himself why he did it, adding that the murder of Sabina caused a huge tragedy to her family, and that he still cannot believe that his son was involved. And that it also caused a tragedy for their family as well. He explained that he's an older man suffering from several illnesses after a head operation several years ago, and though he knows his son is a killer, he'd at least like to see him before he dies.

The same goes for his mom who's 70. He said he feels pain for Sabina losing. Sabina losing her life, but he also has lost his son. He tried visiting, writing letters, and still no response. He doesn't wish this on anyone. He wanted to make that clear, and that he never had any problems with Cochie as a child and doesn't understand how he could do this to someone he didn't even know,

hit them in the head 34 times. He let the public know that they were so sad for Sabina that she was a human being that did not deserve to die that way. And he also wanted to apologize to Sabina's family, but unfortunately, he could could not get the courage to face them. He told the Sunday mirror that him and his daughter really wanted to apologize to Sabina's family for what Coachie did, but he just didn't have the courage to come face to face with

them. He has two daughters himself and he understands what it would be like to lose one and he's shocked over the horrendous murder. He didn't think his son could kill a fly. But to be fair, his son left home when he was only 16, so maybe he hadn't turned into the monster that he would later become. I do feel bad for both of these families. I of course have to feel more pain for Sabina's family

because Cochie had a choice. Sabina didn't. She didn't choose to be murdered. She wanted to make a difference. And even though it's in such a tragic way, she is. Because her story highlights this epidemic of violence towards women and girls. She lives on and all of us in every single time we tell her story

and every single person who gets to know her by watching videos like this. So please consider sharing this video with someone you think would appreciate hearing it. Spread awareness so that change can happen. I want to end with words from Jabina. She says she hopes for a cultural shift that challenges the conditions in which boys and men are taught that girls and women are inferior

and undeserving of respect and protection. She said, quote, if I can do something from what we've experienced as a family to bring some sort of change, then I will. It will be Sabina's legacy. I want women to be able to walk the streets alone any time of the day." Thank you all so very much for being here for Sabina's story. I will see you in my next video. Bye.