MOSCOW, July 28. /ITAR-TASS/. Moscow City Court has convicted Orkhan Zeinalov, an Azerbaijani national, in a high-profile case for the murder of Muscovite Yegor Shcherbakov. The convict was fined for 3 million rubles ($84.8 thousand) in favor of the victim’s parents.

Orkhan Zeinalov has been convicted to 17 year in maximum-security penal colony.

During the oral statements of the parties, the prosecution asked to sentence Zeinalov to 18 years in maximum-security penal colony, 10 of which he should spend in prison. In addition, the prosecution insists on upholding the claim of aggrieved Vladimir Shcherbakov in full. The victim’s father asks to surcharge 5 million rubles ($141.3 thousand) from the defendant. In his statement, the aggrieved stated that he never would be able to forgive the murderer of his son.

The prosecution believes the defendant’s guilt is confirmed by the testimonies of the witnesses, as well as by written materials of the case, including the hardcopy recording of Zeinalov’s conversation with his parents, where he tells about the crime and attempts to avoid punishment.

Zeinalov, however, denies his guilt. “It is all a lie, I wasn’t there,” he said, noting that if he committed crime, he would leave Russia.

 

Developments in Moscow’s Biryulyovo district in October 2013

According to the investigation, in the night of October 10, 2013, 29-year-old Zeinalov being under the influence of alcohol, under an insignificant pretext, triggered a conflict with 25-year-old Muscovite Yegor Shcherbakov. In the fight, Zeinalov stabbed him with a knife in the back and fled from the site. The Muscovite died of wounds on the spot.

October 13, local residents gathered in Biryulyovo and demanded to find and punish the murderer. An improvised rally erupted to riots, in which the police detained 400 people. The suspect in murdering Shcherbakov was detained two days later in Moscow region’s Kolomna. October 18, he was officially charged.

The spokesperson for Russia’s Investigative Committee Vladimir Markin told ITAR-TASS that the murder was solved within the shortest possible time. He noted that aside from stabbing him with a knife, the defendant hit Shcherbakov with hands at least 20 times. In addition, according to the investigation, Shcherbakov wanted to stop the conflict and withdrew from Zeinalov, but the latter took the knife and attacked him again.