The evidence collected by the investigative department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Republic of Bashkortostan was recognized by the court as sufficient for sentencing 34-year-old resident of Chelyabinsk Oblast Yuri Nikitin and 42-year-old resident of Kiginsky Raion Viktor Valavin. Yuri Nikitin was found guilty of committing crimes under Paragraphs b, c, Part 4 of Art. 162 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (robbery), Paragraphs c, d, h, Part 2 of Art. 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (murder of a person who is obviously in a helpless state, with special cruelty, coupled with robbery), Viktor Valavin was found guilty of committing crimes under Part 4 of Art. 162 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (robbery), Part 1 of Art. 222.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (storage and transportation of explosives).

In July 2020, the body of an elderly man was discovered in his private house in the village of Leuza by neighbors. The perpetrators turned out to be former officers of the Federal Penitentiary Service who knew how to commit a crime without leaving traces, and after the deed they tried not to attract attention to themselves, in connection with which the crime remained unsolved for almost two months.

The suspects have been identified thanks to organized painstaking work, a set of investigative and operational measures carried out by investigators and forensic investigators of the Investigative Department for the Republic of Bashkortostan and the Main Criminalistics Department of the IC of Russia, together with the officers of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic and the Main Directorate of Criminal Investigation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, as well as the regional Department of the FSB.

As established by the investigation, the two men who had known each other were aware of the fact that the victim kept a large amount of money at home, in July 2020, they decided to steal the money he had. At night, they entered the veteran’s house, inflicted multiple bodily injuries on him, including stabbing him with a knife, causing physical suffering. The man died at the scene from the injuries. Then the criminals stole money in the total amount of about 2.4 million rubles, after which they disappeared. They shared the money equally. Subsequently, part of the stolen funds in the total amount of almost 1 million rubles was found in the place indicated by Valavin.

Thanks to the well-developed interrogation tactics, the defendant Valavin confessed to the robbery under the weight of the collected evidence stating that he was not involved in the murder. His accomplice, Nikitin, pleaded not guilty to the charges. During the trial, the defendants did not change their position regarding the charges brought against them.

Valavin was also found guilty of illegal storage and transportation of gunpowder with a total weight of more than 300 grams, which was discovered and seized in a barn of his friend during the operational-search activities carried out by law enforcement officers.

During the investigation, more than 40 forensic examinations were carried out, about 300 persons were checked by investigative and operational means for their involvement in the crime.

The court sentenced Nikitin to 23 years in prison, and sentenced Valavin to 10 years in prison, acquitting him on charges of murder, and also recovered from them the amount of money stolen from the victim and compensation for non-pecuniary damage in favor of the victim’s relatives: 1.5 million rubles from Nikitin and 500,000 rubles from Valavin. Both defendants are to serve their sentences in a strict regime correctional colony. The sentence has not entered into force.

In view of the discrepancy between the position of the prosecution and the court ruling, a petition was submitted to the Prosecutor’s Office to file an appeal against the sentence.