An 18-year-old has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for the horrific murder of his mother and seven-year-old sister in the Odssa region. This ruling came after the young man was found guilty of two charges under the Criminal Code of Ukraine. 
In early April 2024, an 11-year-old boy returned home to find his mother lifeless and immediately reported it to the police. Upon arrival, officers discovered the bodies of a 38-year-old woman and her 7-year-old daughter in different rooms of the house, both having suffered fatal knife wounds as determined by forensic experts.
During the investigation, police identified the 16-year-old older son of the deceased as the suspect and promptly arrested him.
The investigation revealed that the day before, a conflict had erupted between the mother and her son, who was under the influence of alcohol and drugs. In a fit of rage, the young man stabbed his mother several times with a kitchen knife and, realizing that his younger sister was in the adjacent room and could disclose the crime, he killed her as well.
Forensic investigators used a mobile DNA laboratory to promptly analyze biological traces collected during initial investigative actions, as well as biological samples from the victims and the suspect. The findings, along with subsequent judicial molecular-genetic examinations, confirmed the boy's involvement in the crime.
Knives and other physical evidence seized from the crime scene were sent for expert examination. A psychiatric evaluation was also conducted, which deemed the young man sane, meaning he was aware of his actions and could control them.
During the pre-trial investigation, the court imposed a preventive measure of detention on the suspect.
Based on the conclusions of forensic examinations and other collected evidence, prosecutors charged the teenager with the murder of two individuals, including a minor, as well as desecration of the deceased's body. The actions were classified under paragraphs 1 and 2 of part 2 of article 115 and part 1 of article 297 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The indictment was sent to court.
After reviewing the case materials, the court found the defendant guilty and sentenced him to 13 years of imprisonment.
The pre-trial investigation was conducted by investigators from the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Odesa region under the procedural guidance of the Odesa regional prosecutor's office.