New Revelations: Additional Injuries Found on Three Soldiers Killed by Gunshot Wounds

In August 2021, three soldiers killed at a combat outpost not only suffered gunshot wounds but also had other injuries. One of the victims had fractured ribs and was found to have bled out. The conclusions of the forensic examination contradict the preliminary investigation's theory that the soldiers were simply asleep and that one of their comrades killed them with gunshot wounds. This was reported by Hayarpi Sarksyan, the representative of the legal successor of soldier Murad Muradyan, during a conversation with "Factinfo".

It is worth noting that on August 19, the bodies of three soldiers were discovered at a combat outpost with injuries incompatible with life.

In connection with this case, the soldier's comrade was first arrested and later detained. The Investigative Committee issued an official statement on August 23, announcing that the position's sergeant had also been arrested on suspicion of inciting the murder of the soldiers and committing violent sexual acts against a fellow soldier. Sources close to the investigation had previously informed that sexual violence occurred against the soldier who was detained on suspicion of killing the three comrades.

It should be noted that the soldier charged with murder had been drafted into the army just a few months earlier, in February of the previous year. Currently, only the former sergeant of the position and the soldier's comrade remain in a suspect status and are in custody.

According to Hayarpi Sarksyan, the representative of Murad Muradyan's legal successor, the forensic examination conclusions were received on February 2, but the lawyer obtained the conclusions from the investigative body with a delay. According to the forensic examination, Murad Muradyan died from traumatic and hemorrhagic shock caused by the gunshot wound, with the wound being a penetrating gunshot wound to the chest; in addition to this fatal injury, Murad also had a lacerated wound to the anterior surface of the right knee joint, which, according to the examination, was also a result of a gunshot wound. There were also abrasions on the frontal and right parietal areas of his head, indicating that, apart from the gunshot wound, there were also abrasions on Murad Muradyan's head.

“This fact speaks to the collapsing of the investigative body's initial hypothesis, which was eagerly circulated. Significant evidence is being gathered with these conclusions that the theory that they were asleep and that their comrade simply killed them with gunshot wounds does not correspond to reality,” Sarksyan said, adding that no drugs were found in their systems, and alcohol influence was also excluded.

The lawyer also highlighted the fact that all three soldiers died shortly after sustaining gunshot wounds, and all of them had additional injuries inflicted around the time of death with blunt objects. The issue is that Murad Muradyan was presented to the forensic center for examination on August 20 at 12:00 PM, with a record indicating that death had occurred more than 24 hours earlier, which is normal. However, according to the forensic conclusion regarding the body of soldier Levon Harutyunyan, death occurred approximately 13-15 hours before the forensic examination; the examination of Harutyunyan began on August 20, 2021, at 11:00 AM, and when the calculations are made backward, it turns out that Harutyunyan died on August 19, in the evening between 8:00 PM and 10:00 PM.

“The Prosecutor General's Office has work to do here, and not just the prosecutor's office; I believe both the Ministry of Defense and the governing bodies have work to do because this shows negligence, I do not know how to call it. Who noted Levon Harutyunyan's death? How could they conduct an autopsy at 11 in the morning and determine that the person died 13-15 hours earlier, meaning that this person was alive for almost a day? His death was recorded when the person was not dead. This means that if the incident occurred around 1:30-2:00 AM on the night of the 18th to the 19th, this is undeniable evidence. It is clearly stated that death occurred shortly after receiving the gunshot wound and also 13-15 hours before the examination was conducted. This is a crime,” Sarksyan emphasized, adding that according to the examination, Levon Harutyunyan died from hemorrhagic-traumatic shock as a result of a gunshot wound and had a gunshot wound to the anterior abdominal wall. Additionally, he had internal organ hemorrhaging, meaning he bled out and had gunshot penetrating injuries to the posterior auricular, neck, and perineal areas, as well as fractured ribs on the right side resulting from blunt object impacts endured while alive.

“I want to understand, once again, this does not add up. That is, the three soldiers were sleeping, their comrade came and caused their death by gunfire, then they found their bodies, while according to the forensic doctor, they did not all die instantly, death occurred shortly thereafter but was not immediate,” the lawyer noted, indicating that in Harutyunyan's case, there was no influence from drugs, psychotropic medications, or alcohol.

The death of another killed soldier, Gor Sahakyan, was also attributed to hemorrhagic-traumatic shock as a result of penetrating gunshot wounds to the head, neck, chest, left upper limb, and pelvic areas, which were directly related to his death. According to the examination, his death occurred approximately 24 hours or more before the examination, which started on August 20 at 11:00 AM. Gor Sahakyan's body also had other injuries.

“As a result of the examinations and investigations, I have concluded that nothing can change in the system. It shows a careless attitude towards human life. Human life has been equated to zero. That is, the person did not die, instead of providing medical assistance, they took him to the morgue. This is outrageous,” Sarksyan stressed.

As for whether he plans to file a complaint, the lawyer stated that he does not represent Levon Harutyunyan's legal successor; however, considering that whenever a person sees that a crime has been committed, they should file a complaint, he will address the relevant letter to the prosecutor's office.

“I believe that a crime has occurred. If the forensic doctor states that death occurred shortly after suffering a gunshot wound and specifies a time frame, 13-15 hours prior to the examination, can I assume that another gunshot wound was inflicted precisely at that time? Moreover, there were no postmortem lividity marks. Regarding the short time before death, perhaps they could clarify how it happens that the soldier survived after sustaining a gunshot wound but his death was recorded,” Sarksyan noted, informing that there are data in the criminal case indicating that one of the soldiers was calling for help, meaning he was alive; presumably, Levon Harutyunyan was that soldier, and Gor Sahakyan and Murad Muradyan were transported by ambulance, while Levon Harutyunyan, who was screaming, went with someone’s vehicle from the command structure. However, what happened afterward should be investigated by the Prosecutor General's Office.

As for whether the sustained injuries could indicate a struggle, Sarksyan assessed that according to the forensic examination conclusion regarding the accused, there were no injuries on his body; therefore, an incident between the accused and the three soldiers is excluded. At the same time, the forensic doctor noted that concepts of fighting and self-defense are legal terms, and their clarification does not fall within their duties.

The representative of the legal successor of the victim Muradyan was also at the crime scene, where there was no trace of blood; the lawyer does not rule out that the soldiers may have been killed elsewhere and then transported to the container. The lawyer also noted that although firearms-related trials usually involve genetic examinations of weapons, such an examination was not designated for this criminal case; instead, a forensic ballistics examination was designated, which has not yet commenced, therefore, the lawyer requested a genetic examination of firearms be designated before carrying out the ballistic one so that evidence is not destroyed, but the request was denied. “I do not understand what the vested interest here is. The NSS should address this,” Sarksyan stated.