"No repentance and no remorse": Kravchenko on the accused in the funicular murder case
Kyiv • UNN
The prosecution asks the court to find Kosov guilty of premeditated murder and sentence him to life imprisonment.
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko stated that the accused in the murder of a 16-year-old boy on the funicular in Kyiv showed no remorse during today's court hearing. According to the prosecution, it was a premeditated murder motivated by hooliganism, UNN reports.
Cynicism. Lack of repentance. No remorse. This is what I saw in the accused during today's court hearing in the case of Maksym Materukhin's murder
Today's court hearing began with the re-examination of two witnesses. According to Kravchenko, this was necessary due to the absence of an audio recording in the materials of the court proceedings — to avoid grounds for overturning the verdict in the future.
An extremely difficult stage. The words spoken by the accused to Maksym while the funicular was still moving echo in my head again and again: "You won't get out of here."
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As Kravchenko noted, during the interrogation, witnesses confirmed that Kosov's actions were deliberate. This was also confirmed by the conclusions of the comprehensive forensic medical, medico-criminalistic, and trace evidence examinations. Experts established that Maksym's bodily injuries resulted from the accused's targeted actions. Kosov's version of an accidental fall is excluded, the Prosecutor General emphasized.
We have moved to the final stage — the debate phase. The prosecution delivered a speech, analyzed all the evidence, and emphasized: this was a premeditated murder motivated by hooliganism.
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The prosecution asks the court to find Kosov guilty of committing a crime under paragraph 7 of part 2 of Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and to sentence him to life imprisonment.
I believe that this is the only possible punishment, as close to justice as possible. But there is no full justice here and cannot be. Maksym lost the most valuable thing — his life. His parents lost a son. His uncle — a beloved nephew. His friends — their best friend. And Ukraine lost the future that this boy could have created. Maksym could have become a famous football player, made discoveries, brought benefit to his country. But we will never know this, because the accused took away his chance at life.
The next hearing will take place on September 17. The debates will continue, after which the court must retire to the deliberation room to make a decision.
"Our duty to Maksym, his family, and society is to achieve the most just verdict. And there can only be one justice here — life imprisonment for the child's killer," the Prosecutor General summarized.
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 station of the funicular, 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, the Pechersk 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, DBR 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, DBR 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 hearing 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.