Приговор при свечах / Judgment in candlelight - Владимир Анатольевич Арсентьев

Pervushin, under unknown circumstances, bought two RPG-18 grenade launchers in July and kept them in an unknown place.

Porokhov organized the following gang activities:

– murder of Petrov in the courtyard of his house, committed as a gang;

– murder of Barinova and Svetlova, committed as a gang;

– attempted murder of Yezhov, Pyzhov, and Kozhin;

– attempted murder of Svetlova, Barinova, and Sukhova;

– destruction of the property of Yezhov, Barinova, Sukhova, Svetlova, and Kozhin;

– damage to the property of Ai;

– car theft from a garage and the following destruction of the car;

– murder threat to Yezhov that began in a hotel on a late October day and continued the next morning in his house;

– illicit acquisition, transfer, sale, possession, transport, and carrying of firearms, ammunition, explosive materials, and explosive devices throughout the activity of the gang from January until December; only a grenade launcher was attributed to Sergeyev and only a TT pistol to Bragin.

According to the preliminary investigation, the circumstances of the crimes committed by the defendants were as follows:

Porokhov, Leskov, and Pervushin devised a plan to physically eliminate Petrov, an entrepreneur. They planned to track down Petrov and kill him next to his house with the involvement of an outside figure.

With that in mind, Porokhov instructed Drozdov to pass the TT pistols and ammunition to Pervushin. Drozdov passed the arms to an unknown person under unknown circumstances.

Leskov, it is unknown how, found Pastukhov who agreed to kill Petrov.

Prudon drove Bragin around the city for three days, following Petrov’s car on Pervushin’s request. Then Bragin drove Pastukhov following the same route and passed him the TT pistol, received from Pervushin, to kill Petrov.

Pastukhov mapped out the killing and rang the bell on Petrov’s gate around 9 p. m. When Petrov came out of the house, Pastukhov fired the TT pistol at him three times, also shooting him in the head, which caused Petrov’s instant death.

After the murder, Pastukhov returned to Bragin’s car and left the scene.

Under unknown circumstances, Porokhov paid Pastukhov, Leskov, Pervushin, and Bragin for the kill, amount unknown.

In late October, Porokhov, Leskov, and Perov devised a plan to physically eliminate Pyzhov, Yezhov, and Kozhin. With that purpose, Porokhov invited Pyzhov and Yezhov to a hotel, where he threatened them with violence. Leskov arranged surveillance of Yezhov’s house, involving Bednyakov and other persons unknown to the investigation. They monitored Pyzhov, Yezhov, and Kozhin’s movement around the city. Perov checked on them and reported to Porokhov.

One night at the end of October, Moiseyev, sitting in his car next to Yezhov’s house, fired an unknown automatic weapon at Yezhov multiple times with the purpose of killing him. However, he did not inflict any serious wounds on Yezhov, as the latter quickly jumped into the courtyard.

Next day near the wharf, Leskov, aiming to kill Pyzhov, Yezhov, and Kozhin, fired an unknown pistol at Yezhov and Kozhin who were in Ai’s car. The two men were also shot at with an unknown pistol by someone sitting in Leskov’s car. That person received the pistol from Leskov under unknown circumstances.

Kozhin and Yezhov started escaping in the car, and Leskov followed them, shooting at them with the same unknown weapon. While Yezhov and Kozhin successfully escaped without getting hurt, Ai’s car was damaged.

A day later, Porokhov called Yezhov at home and rudely threatened him with violence. For that reason, Pyzhov, Yezhov, and Kozhin fled from Porokhov’s pursuit.

On the night of the same day, Porokhov, Leskov, and Perov gathered in a hotel and devised a plan of a gang attack on Yezhov’s family members – Barinova, Sukhova, and minor child Svetlova – with the purpose to kill them. They decided to set the house on fire with gasoline and then shoot a grenade launcher so that nobody would leave the house.

On the same night, Perov, Sergeyev, Moiseyev, and Leskov discussed the details of the crime and decided to involve Bednyakov and Knyazev, who were not in the gang. Leskov explained their objective – destroy the house by arson – and told them that there was no one in the house.

On Porokhov’s order, transmitted by Leskov via a phone call, Bragin stole a car from a garage and drove it to the meeting point, where he gave it to the other gang members. Then Bragin got into Blinov’s car and left.

On orders from Leskov, Knyazev took the wheel of the hijacked car, Bednyakov loaded gasoline jars into the car, and Moiseyev loaded one more gasoline jar and two torches. Sergeyev got into the car with a grenade launcher that he had received from Moiseyev.

The car drove to the house, where Moiseyev and Bednyakov each broke a window and threw a jar of gasoline inside. Moiseyev then lit the two torches and threw them inside the house. Sergeyev fired the grenade launcher.

All of them got in the car and went somewhere else where Bednyakov doused the car with gasoline and set it on fire. He and Knyazev left with Leskov, who handed them their payment under unknown circumstances.

Barinova and Svetlova died in the fire, while Sukhova jumped out of the window and suffered two burns on her right and left foot from the flames.

The investigation confirmed the official indictment above by the following:

Porokhov claimed his innocence and testified that he had been Petrov’s good friend for several years, and there had been no conflicts between them. He learned about Petrov’s murder from Medvedev but does not know any details.

At trial, defendant Porokhov pleaded not guilty. He declared that he disagreed with the charges because he had not committed the acts he was accused of.

Perov also claimed his innocence and testified that he did actually come, at Leskov’s request, to the area but did not take part in any slaughter initiated by Leskov. He also said he did not see anyone but Leskov at