A Moscow court has posthumously found a man who was killed by his daughters nearly seven years ago guilty of sexually abusing them, Russian media reported Monday.
Krestina, Angelina and Maria Khachaturyan admitted to killing their father, Mikhail Khachaturyan, in July 2018 after what they described as years of physical, psychological and sexual abuse.
The sisters were charged with premeditated murder and placed under house arrest, but lawyers have expressed hope the charges could be dropped after investigators formally recognized them as victims in 2021.
The high-profile case divided Russian society when it first made headlines. Supporters argue the sisters were forced to defend themselves due to the government’s failure to protect victims of domestic abuse, while critics view them as murderers.
On Monday, the Butyrsky District Court found Mikhail Khachaturyan guilty of sexual violence, inflicting serious bodily harm and producing pornography, according to the legal news agency Rapsi. The judge closed the criminal case due to his death.
The trial was held behind closed doors.
One of the sisters’ lawyers, Alexei Parshin, said he now expects investigators to reclassify the sisters’ actions as self-defense. Lawyers representing Mikhail Khachaturyan said they plan to appeal the ruling.
The sisters’ other attorney, Yaroslav Pakulin, previously said their trial would not begin until proceedings against their father had concluded.
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