Support The Moscow Times!

Lawyer Jailed for Life for Moscow Office Shootings

Moscow City Court on Monday handed down a life sentence to lawyer Dmitry Vinogradov, who killed six of his colleagues in a rampage in the north of the city in November.

Vinogradov will serve his sentence in a high-security prison and must undergo psychiatric treatment. He will also have to pay 300,000 rubles (about $9,000) to the victims' families, Interfax reported.

The death toll would have been much higher were it not for the bravery of one of the victim's colleagues, Yury Marchenko, who managed to subdue Vinogradov when one of his guns ran out of ammunition, Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said.

Vinogradov, who worked as a legal adviser for the pharmacy chain Rigla, shot seven of his co-workers at the company's head office on Nov. 7, 2012. Five died at the scene, while a sixth victim died later in the hospital.

"Vinogradov said during questioning that he planned to use all 150 rounds he brought with him that day," Markin said in a statement.

The gunman said his biggest regret was that he failed to kill enough "genetic trash," as he called his targets in a manifesto he published on the Internet before the killing spree.

Investigators were unable to grasp Vinogradov's motives for the attack, Markin said. He did say, however, that the attack was planned well in advance.

The killer prepared for the crime for a year, buying two 12-caliber hunting rifles, eight magazines of ammunition and a laser-sight. He also took lessons at a rifle range to learn how to shoot more accurately, Markin added.

Vinogradov's mother said he bought the rifles after a fight with his ex-girlfriend and that he had been prescribed antidepressants by psychiatrists.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more