The Moscow district court of St Petersburg has sentenced a local lawyer Alexander Kaidanov to 13 years in prison for murder and large-scale fraud. The news was announced by Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office, adding Mr Kaidanov pleaded guilty.

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Woman killed

The court also ruled the attorney guilty of intending infliction of grievous bodily harm negligently resulting in death. According to investigators, in September 2010, Mr Kaidanov organized an assault on a local woman. On September 30, 2010, two alleged accomplices of the lawyer struck the woman on her head about ten times using a blunt instrument and three times on her legs. The woman was taken to a hospital where she died a few days later.

Murder and fraud

In November 2010, Mr Kaidanov then worked out a plan of killing a local businessman in order to gain possession of his assets worth around 10 million rubles (over $150,000). He allegedly involved Police captain Yevgeny Popov in this crime promising him a financial reward. Mr Popov in turn gave information about the victim to their accomplices, who later committed the murder, investigators claimed.