Killer of Seven in Urals Makes Unexpected Court Confession

Viktor Petrichenko, who is on trial for the murder of seven people in Kamensk-Uralsky, tried to shift the blame onto his father. The mass killing occurred on New Year«s night 1993. At one of the hearings, the defendant»s lawyer claimed that the victims were actually beaten to death with a hammer by Vasily Petrichenko, who shares DNA with his son.

The same version was voiced to E1.RU by Viktor«s wife, who refused to believe in his guilt after his arrest, as did Viktor himself.

«When Vitya was detained, I immediately thought it was the father, honestly. Because, as Vitya told me, he had served time either for murder or for a stabbing,» said Viktor Petrichenko«s wife.

But investigators have denied Vasily Petrichenko«s involvement in the murder in Kamensk. According to them, the father was the only one Viktor told about his crime. Dad advised his son to keep quiet. Now, the elder Petrichenko is listed as missing in Kyrgyzstan. There is no evidence that he was in the Urals in 1993, and in the apartment where the murder occurred, fingerprints belonging to Viktor were found.

«I want him to get the maximum possible sentence. Although I»ve already been told that he won«t get a life sentence. If the sentence is small, I will appeal. I want to express huge gratitude to investigator Ksenia, who worked on this case, called me, supported me. It»s very good that the murderer was found and he will answer for his crimes,« E1.RU was told by victim Lydia Ivanova (that night she lost her brother and nephews).

Prosecutors helped her file a lawsuit for 10 million rubles (approximately $111,000 at current rates) for moral damages. However, the woman doubts she will ever receive this money.

«While he was sitting in the cell, he married his cohabitant. They brought certificates that their child is disabled. So it turns out that the money he earns will be transferred to them. And for us, I assume, on a residual basis. To bury my sister and nephews, I had to go into debt for several years. I»m 70 years old, I still work, my son helps a lot,« says Lydia Ivanova.

According to the investigation, 33 years ago Viktor Petrichenko met a group from Perm at the station and went with them to visit Kamensk-Uralsky, to the Ivanov family. At the height of the celebration, Viktor mixed clonidine into the alcohol. When the adults passed out, he smashed their heads with a hammer he had brought with him. He lured the children to the kitchen one by one. First, he crushed the skull of the boy, then his sister. He took all the money and valuables that were in the apartment and disappeared.

On January 28, the accused was supposed to give his final statement in court, but the hearing was postponed to February 16. He faces up to 20 years in a penal colony.

All news about this murder is collected in a special section.