Man guilty in estranged wife’s death

Erica D. Johnson

Thursday, April 17, 2003 | 9:42 a.m.

No one helped Marina Cannon escape her abusive estranged husband.

When Cannon's neighbors saw Vitaly Zakouto driving around their neighborhood after Cannon had obtained a restraining order against him, they called police.

But Cannon's family members say no one ever warned Cannon, 49, of the sighting. She was found dead in her father's home two days later.

Cannon's son, Jason Jaeger, said his mother tried to handle the problem legally, but no one heard her cries for help.

"(Police) dropped the ball," he said. "She'd be alive if the system hadn't failed her."

A jury on Wednesday found Zakouto, 53, guilty of five felony counts in Cannon's Dec. 23, 2000, slaying.

Jaeger hopes the verdict will send a message to the Las Vegas community that domestic violence will not be tolerated.

"It's a step," he said. "I hope it will be a loud signal to men and women who are abusing their family members that they can't get away with it."

In addition to a murder charge, Zakouto was found guilty of aggravated stalking and burglary. Jurors today were expected to begin hearing testimony so they can determine how long Zakouto should remain in prison. He does not face the death penalty.

Defense attorney William Terry said he plans to appeal the decision, but declined to comment further.

Lisa Lynn Chapman, spokes woman for Safe Nest, a local nonprofit that offers assistance to victims of domestic abuse in Clark County, said she hopes the verdict will bring the seriousness of domestic violence to the public's attention.

"Our community has stood up with this verdict and said domestic violence is not acceptable," she said. "Cases like this draw attention to the issue of how destructive and violent domestic violence is and how devastating it can be to family systems and the community."

Safe Nest answered more than 22,000 calls on its abuse hotline in 2002, Chapman said. The organization also processed about 2,000 emergency protective orders, she said.

During Zakouto's weeklong trial before District Judge Joseph Pavlikowski, prosecutors alleged Zakouto had stalked Cannon for six months leading up to her death.

Cannon had been shot twice, beaten and had multiple stab wounds. Prosecutors declined to comment on the case until after the preliminary hearing.

Jurors had watched taped testimony of Cannon as she described her turbulent relationship with Zakouto. The videotape was made when Cannon testified in Family Court proceedings.

Jurors also watched a surveillance tape prosecutors say shows Zakouto climbing into the house through a back window the night of the killing.

Terry claimed his client was too tall to be the intruder depicted on the shadowy tape. He said prosecutors had no forensic evidence to prove their case.

Jaeger said he had an amicable relationship with Zakouto before the violence began.

In the beginning, Cannon tried to hide their turbulent relationship from Jaeger, he said.

"She was brutally murdered," he said. "And it was very clear who did this. He systematically terrorized her."

Once Cannon obtained the restraining order, Jaeger and his brother, Damon, tried to spend as much time as possible with their mother, he said.

Patti Cannon, Cannon's sister-in-law, said she hopes the verdict will bring closure to a long and painful experience.

"It's been hell," she said. "But I'm thrilled to pieces about the verdict. Now we'll just try to get this behind us."