Romanian fugitive Emil Gânj sentenced to life for murdering and burning former partner, state to pay €500,000+ damages
A Romanian court definitively sentenced Emil Gânj to life in prison for the brutal murder of his former partner, whose body he set on fire. Gânj has been on the run for nearly a year, and the family’s over €500,000 compensation may fall on the state.
The crime and the verdict
In summer 2025, Emil Gânj forced his way into the home of his 23-year-old former partner in Miheşu de Câmpie, Mureş county. Despite a protection order barring him from approaching her, he attacked and killed her, then set fire to the house in an attempt to destroy the body. The Mureş Tribunal found him guilty of aggravated murder, destruction, desecration of a corpse, violation of domicile and breaching the protection order. On 19 May 2026, the court sentenced him in absentia to life imprisonment, the harshest penalty under Romanian law.
The deadline for appealing has expired, and the first-instance sentence has become final by non-appeal.
A fugitive at large
Gânj has not spent a single day in custody since the crime. He vanished shortly after the murder and has been on the run for almost a year, despite national and international arrest warrants. The entire trial was conducted in his absence, and the definitive sentence does not yet put him behind bars.
- Gânj kills ex-partner and sets fire to house; becomes fugitive (approximate date)
- Mureş Tribunal sentences him to life imprisonment in absentia
- Sentence becomes definitive after appeal deadline expires; Gânj still at large
State to shoulder compensation
The court awarded the victim’s family over €500,000 in moral damages. However, as Gânj owns no assets or income in his name, the compensation is expected to be borne by the Romanian state. Lawyer Adrian Cuculis said the family plans to pursue the state through separate legal proceedings, arguing that authorities failed to protect the victim despite the existing protection order.
The damages will be borne by the Romanian state, given that he has absolutely nothing in his name.
Sentence details
In addition to the life term, the court merged several concurrent sentences: seven years for destruction, three years for desecration of corpses, three years for violation of domicile, and five years for breaching the protection order. Gânj is also barred from holding public office, possessing weapons, and from approaching the victim’s relatives within 100 metres or entering Miheşu de Câmpie.
