A well-known Russian photographer has been found guilty of murdering his model wife and sentenced to 10 years in prison by a court in Siberia, the Interfax news agency reported Wednesday.
The Yekaterinburg District Court ruled that Dmitry Loshagin killed his wife Yulia Prokopyeva in August 2013, when her charred body was found in a local forest. Investigators believe Loshagin beat his wife to death following a quarrel, and then attempted to dispose of the body by setting it on fire, Interfax reported.
It is the second time that Loshagin, a respected photographer in Yekaterinburg, has faced trial in connection with Prokopyeva's murder. He earlier spent more than a year in custody before he was acquitted in December last year. In February a local court overturned the ruling and initiated a new trial.
Loshagin, who was taken into custody following the court's decision on Wednesday, intends to appeal the 10-year prison term, Interfax reported.
Prosecutor Sergei Zhorin dismissed Loshagin's intent to appeal as a bid to evade conviction. “Loshagin has done much to avoid a guilty sentence. He has worked with the media, and hidden traces of his crime … [but] the court gave the correct assessment and found Loshagin guilty,” he was cited as saying by Interfax.
The photographer made headlines in April when he said he was asked to photograph a shoot of the winner of the Miss Russia beauty pageant — despite the looming murder trial. Loshagin said he turned down the offer, according to state news agency TASS.
