Georgian couple arrested in Armenia for two cold-blooded murders

YEREVAN, APRIL 15, ARMENPRESS. Amid an ongoing criminal investigation into the May 31, 2018 murder of a man in Gegharkunik Province, investigators have revealed that the suspected perpetrators have also committed another, unrelated murder.

Earlier the Investigative Committee had said it had charged two suspects for the murder of a 26 year old man. The body of the man was found in a parked vehicle near Lake Sevan.

Investigators said the victim was a taxi driver for three foreign nationals – a Georgian couple and their friend. Authorities said the passengers were intoxicated and began an altercation with the driver while en route to their destination, and during the fight they killed their victim by inflicting serious trauma to his head using stones.

All three suspects, Georgian nationals, were identified during the probe.

After killing the driver, the suspects had taken his mobile phone and a golden ring from his finger and sold it at a trading center in Yerevan.

The investigation revealed that the Georgian couple entered Armenia illegally on September 12, 2017.

During the probe, detectives uncovered another murder committed by the Georgian married couple.

On January 15, 2018 an elderly woman was found dead in her apartment. Authorities suspected foul play and launched an investigation.

Now, the investigators say this very same Georgian couple is behind this murder also.

According to the Investigative Committee, the suspects got acquainted with the woman through their friend in Armenia, and upon learning that the elderly woman lives alone and has cash savings and jewelry, they planned to steal it.

On January 13, the victim invited the Georgian couple to her apartment for dinner. The suspects strangled the 71-year-old woman to death shortly afterwards and then wanted to make her appear as if she died of natural causes while sleeping. They undressed the victim and placed her body in the bed and used gloves not to leave fingerprints.

According to preliminary information the murderers then stole around 2,000,000 drams worth of jewelry and other items from the woman’s apartment.

The suspects have been charged with two counts of murder and illegal trespassing of the state border. Both are arrested.

The third person is charged with concealing a crime and is also under arrest.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan