The sentencing hearing in the case of the murder of Iryna Farion has begun in Lviv
On October 1, the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Lviv began reading the verdict in the case of the murder of linguist Iryna Farion.
During the hearing, attended by a panel of judges, prosecutors, the victim’s daughter Sofia Osoba, and the defendant’s defense team, it was announced that Vyacheslav Zinchenko categorically denies his guilt and does not acknowledge the civil claim. The court noted that over the course of five months of proceedings, the defendant refused to testify four times and evaded speaking more than ten times under the pretext of a disagreement with his attorneys, which was officially recognized as an abuse of procedural rights.
The court read aloud in detail the results of key forensic examinations proving the defendant’s presence at the crime scene. A scent analysis involving three police dogs showed a 99.999% match between Zinchenko’s scent samples and the traces found on a bench near the victim’s home. In addition, a facial recognition analysis and an analysis of video recordings of his movements around the city confirmed that the man in bright camouflage clothing in the courtyard on Masaryk Street was indeed Zinchenko.
Evidence from the examination of equipment and account records seized during a search in Dnipro indicates prolonged and premeditated preparation for the murder. The defendant had been interested in Iryna Farion since September 2023; in March 2024, he obtained her phone number and personal information through Telegram bots; and in early July, he searched for power outage schedules for her residential address. The court established that Zinchenko purchased, under his own name, camouflage clothing, a panama hat, sunglasses, and a GoPro camera; he also searched for a silencer and ammunition and purchased a modified “Stalker 2906” pistol.
Among the evidence presented in court was a note from the defendant’s phone dated July 8, 2024, written on a train to Lviv. In it, Zinchenko claimed that he was acting out of personal animosity, called himself a “social sanitizer,” described the implementation of his own plans as an alternative to fruitless protests, and declared his intention to see it through to the end without any remorse.
Source: Suspilne Lviv
On September 17, the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Lviv concluded the closing arguments in the case of the murder of linguist Iryna Farion. Afterward, the panel of judges retired to the deliberation room to render a verdict.
On the second anniversary of the death of linguist and People’s Deputy of the 7th convocation Iryna Farion, her daughter Sofia Osoba published a poignant video message. She shared family memories, spoke about a family tradition, and expressed words of love and gratitude to her mother.
As a reminder, the defendant accused of Farion’s murder will be assigned a public defender.
The defendant in the Faryon murder case refused to testify in court.
