The Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office successfully defended the initial court verdict in an appellate hearing. A 24-year-old and a 23-year-old from Zolochiv District, along with a 21-year-old Lviv resident, were found guilty of premeditated murder (paragraphs 1, 9, 12, Part 2, Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). Additionally, the Zolochiv residents were convicted of illegal drug trafficking and the use of funds obtained from it (Part 2, Articles 306 and 307), with one of them also charged with involving a minor in criminal activity (Part 1, Article 304).
Sentencing:
- The residents of Zolochiv District were sentenced to 15 and 13 years of imprisonment with asset confiscation.
- The Lviv resident received 10 years of imprisonment.
Case Details
Prosecutors proved that in 2020, in the Zolochiv District, the convicts brutally beat a minor boy and his girlfriend to death using a bat. After the murders, the victims’ bodies were burned and buried in a forest.
The investigation revealed that the perpetrators were selling cannabis through Telegram channels, using a “drop” system. They had repeatedly involved one of the victims in these activities. However, a conflict arose when the boy was suspected of stealing drugs. The offenders planned to “settle” the issue and arranged a meeting, but the boy arrived with his girlfriend, altering their plans for retribution.
The defense appealed the verdict, but the appellate court dismissed the appeal, leaving the original sentence unchanged.