A former SVO member was sentenced to life for the first time: after returning from the war, a “Wagnerite” killed three people with a tire iron

The court considered “participation in hostilities” and awards as mitigating circumstances, but this did not affect the sentence

A court in Perm sentenced ex-fighter of the Wagner PMC Grigory Starikov to life imprisonment for the premeditated murder of three people, the corresponding court ruling was discovered by Vorstka. This is probably the first known case of a life sentence for a war participant who returned to Russia.

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Starikov inflicted 18 to 22 blows with a tire iron on each of the three victims.

The local Investigative Committee reported the arrest of Starikov. In June 2023, he was visiting friends: two men and a woman. “During a quarrel that arose due to a long-standing conflict,” Starikov beat them to death with “an unidentified blunt object” and fled. The bodies of the victims were found by the owner of the apartment only five days later.

The court decision states that Starikov inflicted 18 to 22 blows to the head and body with a tire iron on each of the three victims. Initially, he just wanted to beat them, “but in the process of beating, after a ‘click in the head,’ he decided to kill them.”

“They continued to show signs of life, then he, in order for them to die, additionally inflicted 3-4 blows to each of them on the head, from which the death of the victims occurred,” the court’s decision states.

The court, as mitigating circumstances, took into account “Starikov’s participation in military operations to defend the Fatherland,” his illness, the presence of awards from the Wagner PMC and the medal “For Courage,” as well as the “illegal behavior of the victims.”

Starikov has suffered from organic personality disorder since 2021

The court decision notes that Starikov has suffered from an organic personality disorder since 2021, and during the war he received a shrapnel wound, which caused “destruction of the joints of the musculoskeletal system.” Judging by the video published by the Perm Investigative Committee, the man moves on crutches.

Starikov’s defense called the sentence imposed on him excessively harsh and stated that the “Wagnerian” committed the crime because of the shell shock he received. The lawyer pointed out the need to “undergo long-term treatment and rehabilitation as a participant in hostilities.” However, the court upheld the verdict.

As “Verstka” found out, Starikov was twice convicted in 2015 and 2018 for theft and rendering life-support facilities unusable (Article 215.2 of the Criminal Code)

“Verstka” previously talked about criminal cases against former fighters of the Wagner PMC who returned from the war. Some of these cases contain up to eight crimes. Often, former criminals find themselves free again after receiving a fine, compulsory or forced labor, or a suspended sentence. Even for brutal, deliberate murders, repeat offenders previously received up to 18 years in prison, but not life imprisonment.

Photo: Screenshot of a video of an investigative experiment, during which Grigory Starikov shows how he killed his victims. Следственный комитет РФ по Пермскому краю

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