Transmigration of the soul is a risky business, but nowhere more so than in the far eastern city of Khabarovsk, where it resulted in battery and death.
The victim, a 63-year-old disabled local man, attempted an out-of-body experiment to escape from his illnesses, the regional branch of the Investigative Committee said Tuesday.
The experiment involved an aide taking a wooden club to the psychonaut in order to prompt his conscience into leaving its physical shell.
As a result, the man died of some 50 blows to the head and body.
The aide, his 50-year-old caretaker, said she heard about the experiment from a friend, a married woman who — allegedly — successfully attempted it with her own husband.
In what appears to be a romantic subplot, the spiritual traveler was meant to occupy the body of the caretaker's husband — though apparently failed to do so.
The beater may now face up to 15 years in prison for inflicting grave bodily harm resulting in death.
Both spiritualists were sober during the incident, investigators said.
