Average grabbed the hammer, Junior took a hunting knife, and the elder pepper spray. After years of psychological and sexual abuse by the father of his daughters, sisters, Khachaturian, killed him in July 2018 directly into his apartment in Moscow. On 31 July, after the completion of the preliminary stage of the investigation, in Moscow started hearings on this case, dividing Russia into two camps, as in the case of a baseball player O. J. Simpson (OJ Simpson) has divided the United States.
For some that did Kristina, angelina and Maria Khachaturyan, — a shrewd and dreadful revenge. For others, these girls are primarily the victims of domestic violence. At the time of the crime they were 19, 18 and 17 years. All three decided to kill his father when he returned from a mental hospital and once again punished the girls for the mess in the apartment. According to the lawyers of the three sisters, for poor cleaning he sprayed them in the face of gas with pepper spray. Because of this, Krestina lost consciousness and suffered an asthma attack.
According to the defenders of the girls, that night, the sisters realized that the only two options: kill or die. So they decided to kill his father. They used a knife, hammer and the same pepper spray that he sprayed gas into their faces. After committing the crime the sisters themselves self-inflicted wounds to say that the father attacked them with a knife. Although really examination confirmed: they attacked him while he slept. Then the girls called the police and an ambulance.
On the body of 57-year-old Mikhail Khachaturian was discovered more than 30 stab wounds. However, we also learned about the numerous cases of domestic violence. Father regularly beat daughters, tortured, locked up and subjected to sexual violence.
During the investigation, in a network there was video confirming the fact of cruel treatment of Khachaturian’s daughters. Mikhail Khachaturyan screams heard as he slaps daughters, scolding them for the mess — and it all takes on the camera. “And they still complain,” – he cries, standing with downcast eyes to the girls: “Freak, turn around here!”
“I will beat over all, will kill”, — is told in the correspondence of his father in April 2018. Her father accused the daughter in sexual relationship with a friend. “You were prostitutes, prostitutes and die”.
Many years ago the mother of daughters, which also had suffered from pressure and violence by Mikhail Khachaturian, unsuccessfully appealed to the police. At trial, she explained that in 2015 Michael kicked her out of the apartment.
Self-defense or revenge
As clarification, a year after the murders, still charged with premeditated murder. This caused controversy and protests from rights activists, who believed that the sisters really were victims. The reason: they have, according to human rights activists, it was not possible to get help. In Russia there are no special laws that would protect victims of domestic violence. Usually such conflicts are considered “family problem”. Neighbors of the family, Khachaturian repeatedly appealed to the police, but the response was not.
If the sisters are found guilty, to them threatens till 20 years of imprisonment. Two older sisters, Cristino and angelina, will be judged together. Maria at the time of the offense was a minor, but the charges she filed after she turned 18. It is recognized as psychologically unable to answer for the murder because at the time a collective attack could not answer for their actions.
Prosecutors believe that the murder of Mikhail Khachaturian was premeditated. First of all, because when he was attacked, he was asleep. And because the sisters had coordinated its attack in advance and stole the knife.
Lawyers for the sisters insist that the murder was committed in self-defense. According to the Criminal code of the Russian Federation, self-defense is possible not only in cases of direct attack, but in the cases of “continuing crimes”, and the lawyers prove that how ill-behaved Michael with his daughters since at least 2014 — this was a continuing offence.
According to a survey conducted in 2019 an independent research organization “Levada-Center”, 47% women and 33% of Russians believe that the actions of the sisters, Khachaturian was justified.
