A pensioner in Gomel was sentenced for murder with particular cruelty.

November 18, Gomel. The Gomel Regional Court delivered a verdict in a criminal case of murder committed with particular cruelty, BelTA learned from the court.

A pensioner was charged under paragraph 6, part 2, Article 139 of the Criminal Code. The victim of his sudden aggression was a 45-year-old Gomel resident who had come to visit a friend, a summer resident, in Romanovichi. During a sudden conflict that erupted over alcohol consumption, the 77-year-old pensioner struck him at least 34 times. He punched, kicked, hit him with a knife, and stabbed him with a stool, causing bodily injuries, from which he died at the scene from severe blood loss.

According to case materials, the summer resident did not report the incident to anyone. The Investigative Committee reported that the pensioner wrapped the victim's body in a tarp and hid it behind a shed. He then attempted to cover his tracks: he traveled to Gomel with the deceased's backpack and deliberately left it on the bus. The next day, the pensioner dug a hole near the barn, moved the deceased's body into it, and skillfully concealed it. In court, the pensioner fully admitted his guilt.

"In determining the type and amount of punishment, the panel of judges took into account the nature and degree of public danger of the crime committed, which was classified as particularly serious, the motives and intent of the crime, the identity of the perpetrator, and the specific circumstances of the case. The panel of judges recognized sincere remorse for the crime, his advanced age, and the defendant's health as mitigating circumstances. Committing the crime while intoxicated was an aggravating circumstance," the regional court noted.

Under paragraph 6, part 2, Article 139 of the Criminal Code, the defendant was sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment in a maximum-security penal colony. He must also undergo mandatory treatment for chronic alcoholism at the place of imprisonment. The sentence has not yet entered into legal force and can be appealed and contested.