Epress.am News from Armenia
Hakob Hovakimyan, the father of a Yerevan teenager who died in the hospital after being stabbed in Vanadzor in 2014, and his lawyer, Armine Fanyan, both said during a March 25 hearing at the Lori district court that defendant Karen Kungortsev “should be acquitted.”
Fanyan, namely, said that the testimony of four key witnesses failed to prove that Kungortsev, a Vanadzor resident, had been involved in the murder of 15-year-old Davit Hovakimyan, while the victim's father insisted that the defendant “shouldn't serve a term for someone else.”
Meanwhile, the defendant's lawyer, Arayik Papikyan, said in court that prosecutor Vahe Dolmazyan's speech at the previous hearing made it seem “he'd come to court for the first time” and was unaware that preliminary investigation in the case had been completed 39 hearings ago and that charges against Kungortsev “have already expired.”
Papikyan also stressed that the main witnesses provided contradictory statements in the court proceedings. One of them, in particular, had told preliminary investigation that he had recognized Kungortsev “from his chin;” in court, however, when asked what body part he had meant exactly, the witness pointed to his throat. Another witness simply retracted his preliminary testimony, stating in court that he had not seen Kungortsev stabbing Hovakimyan.
“Not only are circumstances and evidence described in the indictment insufficient, but they also have nothing to do with the criminal case at hand. Which means that the charges against the defendant are obviously baseless,” Papikyan said, demanding a verdict of acquittal.
The next hearing will take place on April 6.