In Moscow, a 34-year-old murder of a teenager was solved using fingerprints

In 2023, investigators identified a criminal who killed a 13-year-old boy in 1989 in the Sokolinaya Gora district. The case was solved thanks to a reexamination of fingerprints left at the crime scene.

The tragedy occurred on August 1, 1989. Aleksey’s parents went to work, and his grandmother briefly left the apartment. Around 10 a.m., the boy heard the doorbell—a male voice informed him of an “urgent telegram” requiring a signature. Disregarding the rule to never open the door to strangers, the boy let the man in. The offender lured him into the kitchen and struck him on the head with a heavy object. When Aleksey regained consciousness, he managed to tell his grandmother about the attack, but passed away in the hospital later that same day. The murderer stole a Panasonic video recorder (worth 1,870 rubles), which the family had brought back from an overseas business trip.

The investigation in 1989 yielded no results. It was only 34 years later that a reexamination of the fingerprints revealed a match in the database. The murderer turned out to be a 52-year-old Moscow resident who worked as a security guard. At the time of the crime, he worked at an aircraft factory and, learning about a “rich” apartment, decided to rob it. The criminal took a metal rod, which he used to beat the boy. He sold the video recorder for 1,000 rubles and spent the money on clothes.

The suspect was detained on his birthday. He immediately confessed to the crime and revealed that he had been convicted multiple times for theft afterwards. His wife and adult daughter had no idea about the crime and were shocked by his arrest.

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