The Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv has begun hearing the case of former State Protection Department employee Artem Kosov, who is accused of the intentional murder of a 16-year-old boy at the capital's funicular station, reports UNN correspondent.
Details
The prosecution in court is personally represented by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko.
The continuation of the case hearing was scheduled for September 8, but the session was postponed to September 15 due to the resignation of one of the judges – a member of the panel. A new composition of the court has now been formed.
Today's session will involve questioning witnesses, as previously requested by the prosecution.
UNN is broadcasting the court session live.
Recall
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 Ministry of Foreign Affairs building 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, the 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 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 former State Protection Department employee Kosov was sent 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 session 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, thereby threatening those around him.