Charges Filed Against Six Individuals in the Murder of a 26-Year-Old Man

Ongoing active investigative actions are being conducted in the criminal case being examined by the regional investigative department of the Syunik province to clarify all the circumstances surrounding the fatal injuries sustained by a 26-year-old man in Kapan on November 27.

According to the Investigative Committee of Armenia, one individual has been charged with murder committed under hooliganistic motives, four others with concealing the crime, and one with inciting the concealment of traces of particularly serious crimes.

On November 27, 2019, at 09:25, a report was received from the “Kapan Medical Center” regarding the admission of Robert Hayrumyan, a resident of Kapan born in 1993, diagnosed with a “stab-wound to the left half of the chest, laceration in the parietal region of the head with hemorrhage.” A criminal case was opened at the regional investigative department under Part 1 of Article 112 of the Criminal Code of Armenia.

During the preliminary investigation, through the joint efforts of the investigators from the regional investigative department of Syunik and officers from the Kapan police department, several circumstances surrounding the incident, as well as the young man's fatal injuries, were clarified. This included the crime scene, motive, and the identity of the presumed perpetrator, who is also a resident of Kapan born in 1988.

Specifically, it was established that a 31-year-old man, around 05:00 on November 27, 2019, had argued with Robert Hayrumyan in a nightclub and subsequently outside. Driven by a desire to assert his perceived superiority and self-affirmation through hooliganistic motives, he inflicted numerous knife wounds to Hayrumyan's head and other vital parts of his body, resulting in stab injuries. Consequently, the young man died in the hospital on December 3, never regaining consciousness.

A forensic examination has been appointed during the preliminary investigation, which concluded that the cause of death was cerebral swelling resulting from penetrating trauma to the skull and brain.

Other investigative and procedural actions, as well as extensive operational-search activities, have provided factual data regarding a group of residents in Kapan, who, influenced by other individuals, concealed traces of particularly serious crimes. Specifically, traces of blood at the scene, the nightclub area, were cleaned and attempted to be destroyed using hot water and materials, and recordings depicting the circumstances of the incident were deleted.

Based on sufficient evidence collected, the 31-year-old man has been charged under Part 2, Clause 10 of Article 104 of the Criminal Code of Armenia. Pre-trial detention has been selected as a measure of restraint for him.

Four other individuals have been charged under Part 1 of Article 334 of the Criminal Code for concealing traces of serious crimes, and one individual under Article 38-334, Part 1 for inciting the concealment of traces of particularly serious crimes. For these individuals, a non-leaving signature has been chosen as a measure of restraint.

Comprehensive investigative and operational-search actions are underway to clarify all circumstances of the incident and assess them legally.