The Main Investigations Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia has finished the investigation into the death of six-year-old Stepan Kukin in 2018. Guardian Yulia Blokhina and her husband Yevgeny Blokhin have been brought to justice.

Stepan Kukin was placed with a foster family of Yevgeny and Yulia Blokhins in April 2017. The guardians developed a negative attitude towards the boy. For several months, Yulia and Yevgeny Blokhins systematically beat the foster child out of animosity and failed to provide him with medical assistance on the inflicted injuries.

According to the investigation, on August 10, 2018, being under the influence of alcohol, Blokhina struck the helpless child numerous times with hands and hand-held objects inflicting on Stepan a range of bodily injuries that caused a coma. After that, Blokhina convinced her husband to conceal the crime traces and urged her daughter who was not subject to criminal responsibility due to her young age to perjure herself and take the blame for beating Stepan.

The nurse, acquainted with the Blokhins family, who dropped by their house by accident, called an emergency brigade, the members of which admitted the child in a healthcare institution where Stepan subsequently died without regaining consciousness.

The performance of complex interconnected forensic and other examinations and interrogation of witnesses from the social circle of the family helped the investigation to obtain evidence refuting Blokhina’s version of events and enabled the investigation to press charges against her for a murder, regular infliction of medium bodily harm, torture, abandoning to danger, and failure to discharge the duties of bringing up a minor (Paragraphs C, D of Part 2 of Article 105; Paragraphs C, D of Part 2 of Article 112; Paragraphs D, F of Part 2 of Article 117; Article125; and Article 156 of the Criminal Code of Russia), and against Blokhin for intentional infliction of medium bodily harm, torture, and abandoning to danger (Paragraphs C, D of Part 2 of Article 112; Paragraphs D, F of Part 2 of Article 117; and Article 125 of the Criminal Code of Russia).

The investigation gathered enough evidence; therefore, the criminal case with the approved indictment was sent to the Vologda Regional Court to be tried on the merits.

 

Official spokesperson for the Investigative Committee of Russia S. Petrenko