An Armenian court has found a Russian soldier guilty of murder charges and sentenced him to life in prison for the 2015 massacre of seven members of an Armenian family, RIA Novosti reported.
The court in Armenia's northwestern city of Gyumri issued the verdict and sentence against Russian Army Private Valery Permyakov on August 23.
Judge Haroutiun Movsisyan read out the verdict saying Valery Permyakov is recognized guilty of all counts: murder of Avetisyans' family with particular cruelty and out of mercenary motives and combined with extortion and banditry, banditry committed: by illegal entering an apartment, warehouse or facility and by using a weapon or other item as weapon, and illegal crossing the guarded state border of Armenia without relevant documents or permits.
The court sentenced Valery Permyakov to life imprisonment.
During the trial, Permyakov refused from giving testimonies and pled guilty of all charges brought against him.
Earlier, on August 12, 2016, Russian contract serviceman Valery Permyakov was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment at a high security facility for deserting and illegally bearing weapons. A family of six was killed by Valery Permyakov in Gyumri, Armenia, on Jan 12, 2015.
The only survivor, six-month-old Seryozha Avetisyan, who received stab wounds, died in hospital on Jan 19. Permyakov voluntarily left his post and committed the above murder.