Thread: Russian man gets life in prison for killing ex-girlfriend in Phoenix

POSTED: AUG 25 2017 05:10PM MST
UPDATED: AUG 25 2017 05:48PM MST

A convicted killer who was arrested while trying to flee Arizona, was sentenced to life in prison for the death of his estranged girlfriend. Igor Zubko was arrested at Sky Harbor Airport after buying a one-way ticket to San Francisco.

This case has received national attention because Zubko, a Russian immigrant, was in the country illegally.

In 2015, Zubko plotted the murder, shot and killed 22-year-old Shayley Estes, an Arizona State University student.

Zubko immigrated from Russia and overstayed his student visa. Prosecutors say he desperately wanted to become an American citizen and Shayley had agreed to help him. She ultimately ended the relationship and got a restraining order against Zubko.



Zubko sent a text message to Shayley's roommate, saying she would "be brutally murdered from Russia with love." Then he illegally purchased a gun and waited at Shayley's south Phoenix home. When she returned from work, Zubko shot her five times -- three times in her back.

He wrote a letter to the judge and did not make a statement during the hearing.

Zubko's family flew in from Russia and more than a dozen members of Shayley's family were at the sentencing.

"It's all the justice we can get right now.. there really truly is no justice when your child doesn't come home," said Shayley's mother, Shannon Estes.

Shayley's cousin, Nicole Liebenow added, "What he did was despicable and something that could've been avoided.. we need to watch for these illegal immigrants that come in our country and cause these crimes because this should have never happened."

Shayley's family has set up a memorial scholarship in her name to continue her drive to help others. She majored in chemistry at ASU and hoped to help develop cures for diseases some day.

Zubko will spend the rest of his life behind bars without the possibility of parole.

Nicole Garcia Fox10‏Verified account
@Fox10_NicoleG
"There is no end to our suffering...I'm asking for the max sentence in honor of my sweet Shayley"- Victim's mom at sentencing #fox10phoenix
2:20 PM - 25 Aug 2017 from Phoenix, AZ

Nicole Garcia Fox10‏Verified account
@Fox10_NicoleG
Family of murdered ASU grad, Shayley Estes, prays before sentencing of boyfriend, who pled guilty to killing her #fox10phoenix

2:01 PM - 25 Aug 2017

http://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/ari...76163797-story

Great...another ILLEGAL alien that WE have to pay for behind bars!

"Zubko immigrated from Russia and overstayed his student visa"

No more Student Visa's for the next 20 years! Deport the ones who have overstayed.

Sickening. GET THESE PEOPLE OUT OF OUR COUNTRY!! NOW. All of them, they all have to go. ALL. Every last one of them, no exceptions, no mercy, no excuses. GET THEM OUT NOW.

See, we can arrested and convict lawbreakers who are illegal.

That is why the idea of local law enforcement releasing law breakers because they are illegal is just a lie.

They actually release criminals BECAUSE they are illegal. I just can't wrap my mind around that kind of logic What I really can't understand is why we are putting up with it.

Originally Posted by nntrixie

See, we can arrested and convict lawbreakers who are illegal.

That is why the idea of local law enforcement releasing law breakers because they are illegal is just a lie.

They actually release criminals BECAUSE they are illegal. I just can't wrap my mind around that kind of logic What I really can't understand is why we are putting up with it.

They're on the take with the drug cartels behind illegal immigration.

Originally Posted by Judy

They're on the take with the drug cartels behind illegal immigration.

Oh, I think it is much worse and much more pervasive than just the drug cartels.

It is standard practice in the law enforcement and judicial system in Texas, so I'm assuming it's not that far off in other places.

It's in our welfare system, our education system, etc.

A lot of the reason could be drugs all right but not the drug cartels, as we know them. It goes all through our economy and our judicial system. The so called drug cartels don't have that much money or that much muscle.

The foreign illegal drug business over 10 years ago made $240 billion a year just over the southern border and a lot of drugs come in through our ports as well so I believe it's way over a $300 billion a trade through the drug cartels today. The $240 billion was from a Congressional investigative study called "The Southwest Border: A Line in the Sand". It was based on Border Patrol information. It used to be posted on the internet, but they took it down several years ago, probably at the beginning of the first Obama term. That doesn't count the human smuggling and other cartel illegal enterprises. Most people don't know the massive financial wealth of these cartels.

It is just me,but if the government is pointing in direction, we had better look elsewhere.

They would like for us to believe the drug problem in this country is due to some drug cartels out of Mexico. They don't want anyone to ask themselves if that is even physically possible.

They want to hint the cartel is paying off politicians so illegals can stay.

Again, if they are waving a hand and putting out some smoke, we need to look behind the curtain.

They put out a few 'facts' and we are eager to connect the dots. The alternative is just too vile to consider - but consider it we must.

As for government 'facts', remember this is the same government that says we have 'll million' illegals in this country.

This is the same government that says we should be in Syria, because ------------, well 'for our freedoms'.

We are sending 4K more troops to Afghanistan - 'for our freeedom'.

The fake news media in all it's hysteria doesn't hold a candle to the ridiculous things our government tells us and we believe it because we are afraid not to believe.

I've never heard the government say any of it, except their calculation of the dollar volume of drugs coming across the SW border. They've never said the cartels were buying up officials or politicians. They've never said the cartels were behind illegal immigration, instead, they treat it as two difference unrelated issues, when I believe they are not only connected, their drug business can't survive here without illegal aliens to run the operations. This is just me saying it. Agree or not, it's just my conclusion from research years ago and nothing since has caused me to change my mind.

Yes, I believe the illegals are very much a part of the drug business - operating their tire shops, restaurants, party rental stores, car lots (good way to transport drugs), etc. This money surely has to go through banks. Is the cartel powerful enough to tell banks to allow this? If the banks are doing it because they make a lot of money from it, who is powerful enough to allow banks to break the law
to that extent?

The statement the man made to me that 'most of the people getting sales tax permits, couldn't speak English'. The cartel would have to pay a lot of people in state governments to allow that to happen across this country. For that reason, I don't believe it is just money - I think it is the power to dictate that.

Are they involved, without a doubt. The question is are they THE drug traffickers or are they working in conjunction with or for other entities. Are they useful as a scapegoat or a 'face of the drug trade' to feed the American people.

When we went to SA to stamp out cocaine coming from this country, the problem grew.

We now control and protect the poppy fields in Afghanistan.

Our government might tell us the Taliban is the heroin trafficker, although it has historically been anti-drug, but since we have control of the fields, we have to ask ourselves a few very tough questions.

These thoughts are not meant to be argumentative - just to suggest maybe not trusting our government and it's news and statistics.

Sorry, if it came off any other way.