Soldier Who Killed Family in Gyumri to Serve Sentence in Russia

YEREVAN (Armradio) — Russian soldier sentenced to life for murdering a family in Gyumri, Armenia, will serve his term in Russia, RIA Novosti reports, quoting a representative of the North Caucasus Regional Military Court.

Valery Permyakov was sentenced to life for killing a family of 7 in Armenia’s second largest city of Gyumri.The family, including a six-month-old baby, was killed as a result of an armed assault on January 12, 2015.

“In a situation, where there are two verdicts by the Armenian and Russian courts, we’re holding discussions with the Russian side to find necessary legal solutions to ensure the execution of Permyakov’s sentence,” Armenia’s Deputy Minister of Justice Vigen Kocharyan said.

Yervand Varosyan, the lawyer who represents the legal successors of the Avetisyan family, says the news should come as no surprise. He reminded that Permyakov had been under Russian jurisdiction from the day of his detention, as he was detained by Russian law-enforcers.

Permyakov was arrested and later charged with the murder of two or more persons under the Armenian Criminal Code. On August 12, Permyakov was found guilty of desertion, theft of weapons and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The murder case was singled out for considering it in a separate procedure and passed to the Armenian authorities. On October 13, Permyakov was found sane. According to experts, he was not in the heat of passion while committing the crime. He also could recognize the consequences of his actions.

On October 16, Permyakov was additionally charged with armed assault, home-invasion robbery and attempted border crossing.