New Details Emerge in the Murder of a 9-Month-Old Infant Who Was Beaten to Silence His Cries

In Armavir, the preliminary investigation into the brutal murder of a young child has concluded, with the father facing charges of murder as well as three instances of assault.

The investigation has revealed horrifying details of the family tragedy that shocked society in September. It turns out that both the infant and his mother had previously suffered from violence.

R. Manukyan moved in with his wife and child to the village of Khanchyan in the Armavir region on September 13, 2018. He was engaged in animal husbandry and lived in a separate room adjoining the owner’s cattle barn.

On September 28, 2018, around 9 a.m., in an effort to silence the cries of his 9-month-old son, he unlawfully struck the child’s face with his hand and fists with the intention of taking his life. After rolling the infant onto the bed, he continued to punch him in the back, head, and various parts of the body. As a result of the blows, the child sustained fractures of the left temporal bone, brain hemorrhage, and multiple rib fractures.

Seeing the violence inflicted on her son, the mother attempted to intervene and approached her husband, but he pulled her away and struck her in the head.

The infant died on the spot from the injuries sustained. According to preliminary investigation data, to cover up the murder, the husband forced his wife to bury the child to hide the evidence.

To this end, R. Manukyan even dug a hole, but the wife, seizing the child’s body from him, ran to the Armavir Medical Center where the death of the infant was confirmed.

According to “Factinfo,” in the days leading up to the incident, the father had again committed acts of violence against his wife and infant child, prompting the mother to leave the house, but eventually, accommodating her husband’s phone call, she returned.

It is noteworthy that the family’s father had a prior conviction. In 2006, he was convicted under the first part of Article 177 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia and in 2007 under the second part of Articles 34-177 for committing specified offenses. He was released from imprisonment conditionally before serving his sentence. Years later, in 2013, he married a resident of Basen village in the Shirak region. During their marriage, they had one child. However, due to R. Manukyan’s alcohol abuse and family disputes, the woman divorced him, and the child remained in the mother’s custody.

The murdered infant’s mother was his second wife. She had also been previously married. While pregnant during her divorce, she met R. Manukyan, who expressed his willingness to father her child. After birth, he acknowledged paternity but did not change his bad habits, continuing to drink and engage in violence.

According to “Factinfo,” R. Manukyan has been charged under the first part of Article 104 and three episodes under Article 118 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia. He has been placed in custody as a preventive measure.

The criminal case has been sent to the court of general jurisdiction in the Armavir region.