Moscow court finds father guilty of sexually abusing daughters who confessed to killing him seven years ago

A Moscow court has posthumously convicted Mikhail Khachaturyan, the father of three daughters who killed him in 2018, with sexually abusing them, according to Russian state media.

The court closed the case due to Khachaturyan’s death, stating, “The criminal prosecution of the defendant is to be terminated on non-exonerating grounds.”

Two of his daughters were reportedly present in the courtroom when the ruling was announced.

Maria, Angelina, and Kristina Khachaturyan were arrested in Moscow in July 2018 on charges of killing their then-57-year-old father. At the time, they were 17, 18, and 19 years old. They confessed and said their father had subjected them to years of abuse, including sexual violence.

The sisters were charged with premeditated murder, but their defense argued they had acted in self-defense. The case went to trial but was eventually sent back to the prosecutor’s office.

The authorities opened a criminal case against Mikhail Khachaturyan in 2021, charging him with sexual violence and torture. The charges were later expanded to include causing grievous bodily harm to his daughters and distributing pornographic material, which he had sent to one of their friends. The sisters and their friend were officially recognized as victims in the case.