(L-R) Angelina, Krestina and Maria Khachaturyan face murder charges. Photos / AP
(L-R) Angelina, Krestina and Maria Khachaturyan face murder charges. Photos / AP
Russian investigators have refused to drop murder charges against three sisters who stabbed their abusive father to death while he slept.
Krestina, Angelina and Maria, who were aged 19, 18 and 17 at the time, are facing murder charges after killing their father Mikhail Khachaturyan, 57, in July 2018.
The Russian sisters confessed to murdering their father, but claim it was self-defence, fearing one sister was going to die at the hands of their father.
The teenagers claim their father, who has been described as a Russian "mob boss", regularly beat and sexually abused them, made them eat dog hair from the floor and attacked them with pepper spray as a punishment.
He had kept a stockpile of knifes, guns and rifles at home despite having been diagnosed with a neurological disorder, and was known to shoot indoors. He repeatedly threatened neighbours and family with violence.
In December 2019, Russia's investigative committee said it had completed its investigation and recommended two of the sisters be tried for premeditated murder.
But the general prosecutor's office concluded that the sisters had been victims to prolonged physical and sexual abuse so the murder should be seen as "necessary self-defence".
(L-R) Angelina, Krestina and Maria Khachaturyan face murder charges. Photos / AP
According to the BBC, the ruling was expected to close the case, however a lawyer for one of the women has told the publisher that the investigative committee has rejected the prosecutor's position.
"Formally, the investigative committee conducted an additional investigation but reached the same conclusion [as before]," lawyer Alexei Lipser explained.
However, as there is no new evidence, the lawyer believes the prosecutor's position will also remain unchanged.
"Now, either the investigators have to agree with the prosecutor and change the charge [to self-defence] or it goes on ping-ponging back and forth," the lawyer said.
The sisters are now left in limbo as the case can not go to trial unless two parties agree on a charge.
Krestina and Angelina could face between eight and 20 years in prison, when the murder charge is eventually brought to court.
Maria (second left) and Angelina (right), two of the three Khachaturyan teen sisters charged with their father's murder, attend a hearing at Moscow's Basmanny District Court. Photo / Getty Images
The youngest sister, Maria, who is now 18, will not face jail after the court ruled she did not understand her actions when she was part of the alleged "group" conspiracy.
Angelina and Maria admitted to police the attacked their father with a hunting knife they had taken from his car earlier that day and a hammer.
As they struggled with their father, the fight spilt from the apartment on to the street, before Angelina stabbed her father through the heart.
Mikhail then collapsed, and Maria called an ambulance. By the time paramedics arrived he had died. Mikhail's body was found with dozens of stab wounds in the lift of his apartment block where the family lived.
The teens previously claimed the night they killed their father, Krestina - who suffers from asthma - collapsed and Mikhail took her to her bathroom, poured vodka on her and undressed her.
Aurelia (right), the mother of the Khachaturyan sisters charged with the murder of their father, and her lawyer ahead of a hearing outside Moscow's Ostankinsky District Court. Photo / Getty Images
Their mother Aurelia Khachaturyan, who left the family home for her own safety, previously told BBC she had complained to police multiple times over the years about the violence and was ignored.
The case has been criticised by many, with at least 364,000 people signing a petition earlier this year demanding the three women be fully acquitted of any crime.
"The situation in which the girls found themselves living with a father for a rapist is familiar and scary," Alyona Popova, a lawyer and organiser of the petition told Reuters.
"Many people, not only women, but also men in the Russian Federation realise that this is not an isolated case."
If you're in danger now:
• Phone the police on 111 or ask neighbours of friends to ring for you. • Run outside and head for where there are other people. • Scream for help so that your neighbours can hear you. • Take the children with you. • Don't stop to get anything else. • If you are being abused, remember it's not your fault. Violence is never okay
• Women's Refuge: Free national crisis line operates 24/7 - 0800 refuge or 0800 733 843 www.womensrefuge.org.nz • Shine, free national helpline 9am- 11pm every day - 0508 744 633 www.2shine.org.nz • It's Not Ok: Information line 0800 456 450 www.areyouok.org.nz • Shakti: Providing specialist cultural services for African, Asian and middle eastern women and their children. Crisis line 24/7 0800 742 584 • Ministry of Justice: www.justice.govt.nz/family-justice/domestic-violence • National Network of Stopping Violence: www.nnsvs.org.nz • White Ribbon: Aiming to eliminate men's violence towards women, focusing this year on sexual violence and the issue of consent. www.whiteribbon.org.nz
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