A Russian soldier who confessed to killing seven members of an Armenian family — including two small children — in their home in January has been declared sane following a psychiatric examination, the Interfax news agency reported Thursday.
"The psychiatric examination conducted at the request of investigators has determined that the soldier is sane. He was fully aware of his actions when the crime was committed," the report quoted an unnamed source with knowledge of the investigation as saying.
The soldier, Valery Permyakov, allegedly broke into the family's home and killed them all with a rifle when he was stationed at a Russian military base in the Armenian city of Gyumri. The motive remains unclear.
"There is now every basis to formally press charges and … send the case to court," the source was quoted as saying. Permyakov is in custody at the base and will be tried there, the report said.
