Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv sentenced Artem Kosov, a former employee of the State Protection Department, to life imprisonment for killing a 16-year-old boy at the capital's funicular station, UNN reports.
The judge's decision was met with applause and joyful shouts from those present in the courtroom.
Relatives and friends of the deceased 16-year-old teenager could not hold back tears of joy.
The judge also noted that the convicted person has 30 days to appeal the court's decision.
After the court's decision was announced, Maksym Materukhin's parents left the courtroom and spoke with media representatives. They emphasized that they were satisfied with the court's decision.
We have been waiting for this for a long time. The day we have been working towards has come. This will be a birthday present for Maks tomorrow. He would have been 18 years old.
According to the father of the murdered teenager, they will now prepare for the appeal, which the accused has the right to file.
Today is euphoria, but there will still be an appeal ahead. We will work to ensure that the verdict remains as it is today.
The prosecution asked to sentence Artem Kosov to life imprisonment.
Context
On April 8, 2024, Artem Kosov was notified of suspicion of intentional murder of a teenager. As established by the investigation, the incident occurred at the upper funicular station, which leads to the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery. Kosov, being intoxicated, began to harass a group of teenagers, among whom was Maksym Materukhin. Kosov pushed the 16-year-old boy, who died from the impact of the fall. The investigation in the proceedings was conducted by the State Bureau of Investigation, as at the time of the crime, the suspect was serving in the State Protection Department.
On April 9, 2024, Pecherskyi District Court of Kyiv remanded the law enforcement officer in custody for 60 days, without the right to bail. After that, the pre-trial detention measure was extended several times, and currently the accused is in a pre-trial detention center.
On May 5, 2024, SBI employees completed the pre-trial investigation, after which the case materials were handed over to the defense for review.
On May 29, the indictment against the former employee of the State Protection Department Kosov was transferred to the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of the capital.
During the investigation, SBI investigators established that the murder of the minor was committed out of hooligan motives, for which he faces life imprisonment.
On August 14, the Shevchenkivskyi Court of Kyiv appointed a free lawyer for Artem Kosov. The Kyiv court also extended Artem Kosov's pre-trial detention until October 11 without the right to bail.
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, during the court on August 20, analyzed the actions of the accused based on the video reviewed in court, noting that Kosov's behavior was cynical and demonstrated disregard for human life.
Ruslan Kravchenko also reported that, according to witness testimonies, the accused reached for the place where he had a pistol and thus threatened those around him.
On September 17, during the court debates, Kosov expressed condolences to the family of the teenager he killed. He also stated that he was sorry.