In the Rivne region, a man strangled his 83-year-old neighbor and set her house on fire
A fire broke out in Sarny, Rivne Oblast, after which rescue workers found the body of an 83-year-old woman inside the house. According to the investigation, she was strangled by her 35-year-old neighbor, who then took 2,000 hryvnias from the home and set the house on fire along with the body. The man was arrested just a few hours after the crime.
The police received a report of a fire in a residential building on Kotlyarevsky Street in Sarny on August 9 at around 10:30 p.m. Emergency responders arrived at the scene. While extinguishing the fire, they found the body of the 83-year-old homeowner in one of the rooms. Initially, the circumstances of the woman’s death were unclear. However, a forensic medical examination determined that the pensioner died of asphyxiation—that is, as a result of being strangled. Law enforcement officials began investigating what had happened in the house prior to the fire. According to the preliminary version of the investigation, the pensioner’s 35-year-old neighbor broke into her home.
The man is suspected of murder and robbery
According to police, the man attacked the woman and strangled her. In addition, he inflicted bodily injuries to her head. Afterward, law enforcement officials claim, the suspect took 2,000 hryvnias from the home. He then set the residence on fire.
“Preliminary police findings indicate that the 35-year-old neighbor broke into the pensioner’s home, where he strangled her and inflicted injuries to her head. Afterward, he stole 2,000 hryvnias and set the house on fire,” the Rivne Regional Police reported. Consequently, the investigation is examining several charges simultaneously—murder, robbery, and the intentional destruction or damage of property by arson.
The assailant was found within a few hours
After news of the woman’s death broke, operatives from the Sarny District Police Department and the Criminal Investigation Department joined the search for the suspect. The man was located just a few hours later. Law enforcement officers located him on one of the streets in Sarny and took him into custody. According to police, the suspect had previously been in trouble with the law. A few months ago, he was released from prison, where he had been serving a sentence for robbery.
The man has now been placed in a temporary detention facility. Investigators are determining whether to formally charge him. If the man is found guilty in court, he could face a sentence of up to life imprisonment. At the same time, the final legal assessment of the detainee’s actions must be made by the court. At this stage, this is solely the investigation’s version of events, not a proven guilty verdict. This was reported by the Rivne Regional Police Press Service.
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