“The killer could be someone else”. Experts assessed the statements of law enforcement officers – analysis of evidence
1 August 2024 12:28
Renowned lawyer Regina Huseynova defended the suspect in the murder of Farion on the Kyiv TV channel. She says she has not yet heard any direct evidence of the young man’s guilt. She has a question: what is being charged against the 18-year-old suspect and why is this person now sitting in the dock? Vyacheslav Zinchenko also does not admit any involvement in the murder of Irina Farion on 19 July in Lviv. Komersant ukrayinskyi
tried to find out what exactly the experts see as the differences.
Huseynova’s lawyer, in particular, was outraged that law enforcement officers had already been given state awards for the detention of the young man.
“The biggest shock was that the Minister of Internal Affairs and the head of the National Police even gave out awards for solving the case. Colleagues, the man has not yet been found guilty. [….] There is no direct evidence. After all, what is this person charged with? That he was at the scene of the crime? Is that all? Have we heard any direct evidence?”
Regina Huseynova, lawyer
It is known that on 26 July, a Lviv court imposed a pre-trial restraint on the suspect. vyacheslav Zinchenko, an 18-year-old resident of Dnipro, will be held in custody in a pre-trial detention centre for two months during the pre-trial investigation. The defence of the suspect in the murder of former MP and linguist Iryna Farion filed an appeal against the court’s decision on a preventive measure.
Leak of information about the suspect
Military expert and co-chairman of the civil initiative ‘Pravova Sprava’ Dmytro Snegiryov immediately drew attention to the leak of information about the suspect. According to him, this happened in a controlled manner and will lead to problems in court.
“Ukrayinska Pravda received a photo of the 18-year-old detainee from law enforcement sources. After that, law enforcement officials were forced to state that there had been a leak of information through the National Police regarding the detainee’s personal data. […] And this is a violation of a number of articles of the Criminal Code”
Dmitriy Snegirev, activist
Does the suspect look like a trained killer?
For the purpose of conspiracy, the suspect in the Farion case rented three apartments in the centre of Lviv in turn and changed his place of residence, Dmytro Snegiryov quoted law enforcement officers as saying.
“What kind of a professional is he who a) books apartments from his phone and b) takes receipts for staying in these apartments, documenting the very fact of his stay. This whole conspiracy theory about the three apartments does not stand up to criticism.”
Dmitry Snegirev
Upon arriving in Lviv, the suspect went to the post office, where he received a parcel that he had previously sent himself from Dnipro, according to law enforcement agencies. The expert also sees no evidence of a crime here.
“What is the corpus delicti? The person did not want to take his belongings with him, sent the parcel and, accordingly, received it in Lviv. Moreover, he sent it in his own name and sent it himself. Are these the actions of a professional? What does this have to do with Farion’s murder? Probably nothing.”
Dmitry Snegirev
After that, according to law enforcement officers, the suspect began preparing for the murder, including studying ways to approach and exit the scene. However, the co-chair of the Pravova Sprava civil initiative asks a rhetorical question: how could a professional get on CCTV cameras eight times, including the one located near Farion’s entrance?
“When we are told that the guy is a professional, and he was sitting in 40-degree heat in a red long-sleeved sweater with a large inscription “Los Angeles”. Don’t you wonder if he was doing it on purpose? Or on the instructions of a third party, diverting attention from a possible second direct perpetrator.”
Dmytro Snegiryov
The perpetrator or customer of the murder could have had access to Farion’s phone
According to law enforcement officials, the suspect had been watching Irina Farion for eight days. However, on weekends, on Saturday and Sunday, the young man did not come to follow the victim. Dmitry Snegirev draws attention to the strange selective surveillance.
“You are watching the object. How do you know that on Saturday or Sunday he will not come out, or, on the contrary, he will come out. Secondly, it turns out that he did not take the purse every day. And how do you know when to take a weapon and when not to take a weapon? […] Perhaps someone had access to Ms Iryna’s telephone conversations or knew her travel schedule?”
Dmytro Snegirev
And the main thing, says the co-chair of the civil initiative “Pravova Sprava”, is that on the day of the murder, the 18-year-old suspect arrived at 17.30. And it was on this day that Farion was supposed to go to her children and grandchildren. Therefore, the killer could have clearly known the agenda of the deceased, adds Dmitry Snegirev.
The main evidence of the murder – the gun – is missing
All the facts presented by the Ministry of Internal Affairs are circumstantial evidence, Snegiryov assures. There is no main clue to the investigation. “Where is the gun?” the expert asks a rhetorical question.
Moreover, Vyacheslav Zinchenko, who is a suspect in the case of the murder of linguist Iryna Farion, refused to testify. This was stated by the suspect’s lawyer, Igor Sulima. He added that his client had such a right and had exercised it.
Thus, summing up the above facts about the suspect’s professionalism and preparedness, Snegirev adds:
“Zinchenko calmly took a ticket home in his own name, having previously appeared on CCTV again, although he could have left in a Bla Bla car. There are many discrepancies that indicate that he is not a professional.”
The polygraph examiner saw concealment of information in the suspect’s behaviour
At this stage of the investigation, it would be advisable to conduct a polygraph examination, says Volodymyr Vedmid , an expert polygraph examiner and executive director of the Ukrainian Association of Polygraph Examiners, in an interview with the News Factory YouTube channel. In addition, the young man’s behaviour was atypical for an uninvolved person, the expert said.
“The suspect’s behaviour is controlled and embarrassed. He chose a line of defence. If he was absolutely calm, he would not have been confused and would not have hidden behind the screen of ‘uninteresting questions’. The fact that he is hiding information is obvious to me.”
Volodymyr Vedmid, polygraph examiner
Theyoung man does not want to give answers that would allow society to conclude that he is not involved, says the polygraph expert. But a polygraph examination could ask the suspect a few simple questions: was he involved in the murder, did he make the shots, does he know who did it, does he know the customer, if there was one, where is the murder weapon? It would also be worthwhile to ask about the motives: why did he commit this crime?
On 19 July, at around 19:30, an unknown person shot Iryna Farion near her home and fled. The linguist was hospitalised and underwent surgery. However, it was not possible to save her life.
The attack on Iryna Farion was classified under Part 1 of Article 115 (premeditated murder) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The shooter faces imprisonment for up to fifteen years.
Investigators are considering several motives for the murder, including public/political activity and personal animosity. Investigators also do not rule out a “Russian trace” in the murder.
Author: Anastasia Fedor
More news in the Kommersant Ukrainian telegram channel – https://t.me/komersant_ukrainskyi.
