32-Year-Old Arrested in Pemzashen Murder Case Could Be Found Insane and Avoid Punishment

The 32-year-old Vruyr Barseghyan, arrested for the brutal murder of a mother and her two children in Pemzashen, is currently being held in a prison, as confirmed by the Armenian Ministry of Justice's Penitentiary Service in an interview with Factinfo. However, they refrained from disclosing which prison Barseghyan is located in.

As previously reported, both Vruyr and his brother Arkadi Barseghyan have been detained in connection with the murder case. They are accused of armed robbery as well as the murder of 31-year-old Zarine, with Vruyr also facing charges for exhibiting exceptional cruelty while murdering the mother and her two children. Additionally, Vruyr Barseghyan is charged with committing sexual violence against the deceased 12-year-old girl. Thus, the investigation has largely attributed the entire blame to the 32-year-old Vruyr Barseghyan, who has been noted to have "emotional disturbances with suicidal thoughts" as a mental health condition.

Media outlets have previously raised concerns regarding the Investigative Committee's hasty affirmation of his mental illness without a formal examination, as it would have been impossible to conduct such evaluation within two days. This is worrying because grounds could be established for declaring someone accused of such a serious crime as insane.

So far, the investigative authority has not officially conducted the necessary forensic psychological assessment to determine Barseghyan's sanity; however, his lawyer deemed it quite likely that such an assessment would be commissioned. Specifically, the lawyer did not rule out that they may petition for the examination if necessary, although he believes that this may not be needed since the investigative body is likely to initiate the examination voluntarily.

Within the ongoing process, forensic medical, forensic genetic, and biological examinations have been appointed, the results of which have yet to be received. No further actions involving Vruyr Barseghyan have occurred during this time; the only action he took was providing a self-incriminating confession.

Edward Agajanyan, who refrained from disclosing other details about the case, recalls that a tragic incident occurred on November 9 in the village of Pemzashen, Shirak region. Three bodies were discovered in one of the houses: the mother, 31-year-old Zarine, and her two children, a 12-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old son.

Authorities reported that a male child's body was found on a single bed in the master bedroom, displaying stab wounds on the chest and bound hands and feet. In the same bedroom, the body of a female child was located on the floor, also showing stab wounds on the back of the chest and abdomen. The woman's body showed stab wounds on the chest and abdomen with her hands bound at the back. A 32-year-old resident of Shirak Province was arrested on November 12 on suspicion of this brutal murder. He provided a self-incriminating statement to the police, and the following day a second suspect, a 41-year-old man, was also arrested. The two men are related, both are married, and they have children.

According to the statement issued by the Investigative Committee, the suspects had entered the house intending to steal money. However, upon discovering there was no money, they bound the victims and, together, brutally murdered the woman. Consequently, to conceal the crimes, the 32-year-old man bound the children’s hands and feet and inflicted multiple stab wounds with a kitchen knife, causing them lethal injuries.

Charges against 32-year-old Vruyr Barseghyan have been filed under multiple clauses of Article 155 of the Criminal Code of Armenia, addressing murder with particular cruelty, unlawful entry for robbery purposes, and sexual violence against a child under 12 years of age. His 41-year-old accomplice, Arkadi Barseghyan, who, according to the press, is an ally of Nikol Pashinyan, faces charges for murder and unlawful entry for robbery as well. Both suspects remain in custody.