Man stabs 3 invaders to protect family, faces life for murder

A Russian businessman killed three home-invaders with a kitchen knife after they attacked his family and held his seven-month-old grandson at gunpoint. He now faces a life sentence for what may be qualified as a triple murder.

­On Saturday, four armed men broke into the house of Gegham Sargsyan, 52, in Russia’s Tula Region, some 240 kilometers south of Moscow. All his family – wife, daughter, daughter-in-law and four related children – gathered in the living room to watch a TV show.

“They just pounced on us and began to beat the baby. A seven-month baby! They held a pistol to his temple. They started beating up a seven-year-old girl and two three-year-old boys too. It was just…horrific!” recalls Sargsyan’s daughter-in-law, as reported by Channel One.

The intruders threatened to kill everyone in the household and demanded money and valuables to be handed over immediately. One of the men had his face partially concealed by a scarf, while others did not bother to hide their identities. Russian media speculates this could indicate the assailants’ intent not to leave any witnesses alive.

The attack lasted for some 30 minutes, during which robbers tore off gold jewelry from the women and routinely beat all members of the family. According to Life News tabloid, the assailants were armed with pistols and a baseball bat. After turning over all valuables and money, Sargsyan said he had nothing more to give, but the robbers would not take “no” for an answer.

“They demanded [more money]. They had a knife and a gun… They stuck a gun in my mouth,” Sargsyan said. However, the man allegedly managed to break free from their hold and dashed to the kitchen, where he grabbed a kitchen knife.

“One of the attackers chased me, he did not see me straight away,” Sargsyan recalled. “I stabbed him in the stomach.” He stabbed the second one in the head, but the most important thing, he says, was “to knock down the one that held the gun. The rest was easy.”

Sargsyan says knife fighting is a skill he acquired while serving in the army, as well as during the many years he has hunted.

Three of the home-invaders died before the ambulance could make it to the house. The fourth was injured, but managed to flee the scene. All of them have been identified by police, and all four have previous criminal records.

­Life sentence for protecting loved ones?

Investigators said Monday, that Sargsyan’s actions, while in the name of self-defense, could have been excessive. Now the businessman, who has been hospitalized with concussion, is accused of multiple homicide. If convicted, he may end up behind bars for life.

Still in hospital, Gegham Sargsyan is eager to return to his loved ones as soon as possible, fearing for their lives while the fourth assailant is still on the loose. He also hopes his case will be assessed as excessive use of force in self-defense, and not multiple homicide.

Defense attorney, Dmitry Agranovsky, believes it might just be the case, even though similar suits are usually tried unfavorably with respect to those who had to resort to self-defense.

“But in this case, the criminals broke into his house and threatened the lives of his family members.  It will be recognized as legitimate self-defense, and a criminal case is likely to fail,” he said. “The maximum he faces is interrogations. It is impossible to qualify his actions as criminal.”

The Russian internet community is largely supportive of Gegham’s actions. Comments range from praise to regret that the fourth criminal got away alive.

“Good work, man! It’s a shame the fourth one got away!”

“Respect to Gegham! He’s a real man! I would try to get the fourth one if I was in his place. Those bastards – they got what they deserved! They should not run around among us.”

“The fourth one could tell a lot, the other side of the story. But he’s not there, he’s hiding like a rat, and this means Gegham’s story is true. He’s a great man, who protected the dignity of his family.”

“Good man, it will be sad if he ends up behind bars.”

“Real man… he did what he had to. Fewer freaks left in the world now. Well done, Gagik!”

­Elena Ostroumova, RT

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