A 23-year-old woman from Minnesota is facing up to 40 years behind bars after a dispute with her boyfriend ended in tragedy.
Katerina Ivanovna Markiv has been charged in connection with the death of 25-year-old Quinton McKay Hughes, according to court documents obtained by Oxygen.com.
Authorities say officers from the St. Cloud Police Department were dispatched to a residence at approximately 4:05 a.m. on December 8 following reports of a “knife complaint.” Upon arrival, they found Hughes critically injured. Prior to police reaching the scene, Hughes reportedly told emergency dispatchers that he had been stabbed following a “minor disagreement” with Markiv, according to the criminal complaint.
“Law enforcement immediately began performing lifesaving measures on [Hughes],” the Stearns County District Court 7th Judicial District’s complaint states. “Officers were eventually no longer able to feel a pulse, but continued CPR until paramedics arrived and took over. At 4:36 a.m., [Hughes] was pronounced deceased in the apartment.”
Prosecutors have charged Markiv with two counts of second-degree murder. Each charge carries a potential maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
During questioning, investigators said Markiv explained that the argument began after Hughes refused to “have fun,” later clarifying that she was referring to sex. Authorities also noted that the couple had started dating in October and were coworkers.
According to investigators, Markiv claimed multiple times that the stabbing was unintentional. She allegedly told officers she only meant to “scratch” Hughes after he interrupted her and insisted she did not intend to kill him.
Investigators further stated that Markiv admitted to struggling with anger issues and said she became enraged during the confrontation, which followed several hours of alcohol consumption. Police allege the dispute escalated when she stabbed Hughes using what authorities described as an eight-inch “boning style knife.”
