Dmitry Stenkin. Photo: Mediazona
A Moscow court has sentenced a Russian serviceman to life in prison for murdering a woman and attempting to abduct her two daughters, independent news outlet Mediazona reported on Tuesday, citing the court’s press service.
Dmitry Stenkin, 40, was found guilty of murder, attempted murder, the kidnapping of minors and breaking and entering.
The court said the crimes took place in April in the village of Giryi, in Russia’s southwestern Kursk region, which borders Ukraine. Stenkin was found to have entered a private house while intoxicated and armed.
According to the ruling, Stenkin attempted to rape local resident Olesya Larina, the mother in the family home, and opened fire with a machine gun when he met resistance from both her and her husband. Larina was killed and her husband was wounded.
The court said Stenkin then threatened the couple’s two minor daughters with weapons and forced them into a car, believing they could identify him and report him to the police. He was detained shortly afterwards by other soldiers while attempting to remove the children from the area.
According to Mediazona, Stenkin’s previous convictions include rape, assaulting a policeman, issuing death threats and violating parole conditions. Stenkin had agreed to serve in the army as an alternative to yet another prison sentence.
