Arcadi Said 'I Couldn't Have Been There, But the Investigative Body Did Not Examine It': Lawyer

In the case of the horrific murder that took place on November 9 in the village of Pemzashen, Shirak Province, Arcadi Barsheghyan's lawyer is preparing to appeal the court's decision to the Court of Appeal. This was stated by his lawyer Vladimir Minasian in an interview with News.am today, November 15.

‘We do not agree with the court's decision. We are preparing to appeal the decision. Just because they are detained does not mean that other evidence cannot be revealed,’ said Vladimir Minasian.

The lawyer noted that Arcadi presented his entire movements of that day to the investigative body: ‘Arcadi added that he could not have been at that place. He also suggested that the investigative body examine his entire movements. However, the investigative body did not examine.’ Minasian insisted that the other accused in the case, Vruyr Barsheghyan, has no connection with Arcadi: ‘Arcadi has no connection with Vruyr. It’s a village; they may know each other.’

Recall that on November 9, a brutal murder occurred in the village of Pemzashen, where the bodies of a 31-year-old resident, her 12-year-old daughter, and her 8-year-old son were found in their apartment. The deceased are the mother, 31-year-old Zarin, and her two children, a 12-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old son. On November 12, a 32-year-old resident of Shirak Province was arrested on suspicion of the brutal murder; he confessed to the crime during police questioning, and the next day, a second suspect, a 36-year-old man, was also arrested. According to village residents, the men are relatives, both married, and have children.

Today, the Investigative Committee provided details about the incident: ‘The 32-year-old resident of Shirak Province, who suffers from a mental illness characterized by emotional disturbance with suicidal thoughts, on November 8, 2022, around 21:00, during a meeting with a 41-year-old resident of the same community, learned that there was allegedly money in the house of a 31-year-old resident of Pemzashen and agreed to enter the house and steal the money. That same day, taking advantage of the fact that the front door of the mentioned house was open, they illegally entered the home. When they discovered that there was no money in the house, they tied up and brutally murdered the woman. Then, to conceal the committed crimes, the 32-year-old man tied up the children's hands and feet and inflicted stab wounds to different parts of their bodies with a kitchen knife, causing life-threatening injuries.’ Based on the gathered sufficient evidence, the 32-year-old man has been charged under several articles of the Criminal Code of Armenia, including Article 155, Part 2, Points 6, 8, and 13, Article 252, Part 3, Point 2, and Article 198, Part 4. The 41-year-old man has been charged under Article 155, Part 2, Points 8 and 13, and Article 252, Part 3, Point 2.