A man accused of murdering a nine-year-old boy in Saint Petersburg was denied official credit for aiding investigators after he gave false statements during initial questioning, Russian law enforcement officials said.
Vladimir Zakharyan, head of the second division of the first department for the investigation of particularly important cases at the Saint Petersburg Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee, told RIA Novosti that suspect Petr Zhilkin initially presented a false defensive story to authorities. Zakharyan explained that because Zhilkin misled detectives at the start of the inquiry, officials refused to count his subsequent cooperation toward the criminal case submitted to court.
The criminal case against Zhilkin has now been transferred to the Leningrad Regional Court for trial on the merits. The court is scheduled to open the first judicial hearing on August 13 in a closed session.
Disappearance and arrest in Pskov
The victim, nine-year-old Pasha, went missing on January 30 after getting into a car with an unknown man and failing to make further contact. Law enforcement officers launched a search and identified Zhilkin as the owner of the vehicle.
Officers located and arrested Zhilkin in the neighboring Pskov region, located southwest of Saint Petersburg. Following his arrest, Zhilkin confessed to the crime and guided law enforcement personnel to the exact location where he had hidden the child's body.
Legal procedure and upcoming court trial
Saint Petersburg is Russia's second-largest city, where major criminal cases are handled by the Investigative Committee, the chief federal agency tasked with probing serious felonies and violent crimes against children. Under Russian criminal law, full judicial proceedings for major crimes in the surrounding province fall under the jurisdiction of the Leningrad Regional Court, where hearings involving underage victims are held behind closed doors.
Because Zhilkin's early statements were ruled deceptive, the case presented to judges will not include formal credit for his later assistance. The Leningrad Regional Court will begin reviewing the evidence against Zhilkin when proceedings commence on August 13.
