Uzbek national sentenced in absentia for 2012 murder in Russia’s Khabarovsk region

The woman was found dead in November 2012 in a private house in the village of Topolevo, where she had gone to check on the property and heat it during winter, according to the regional department of Russia’s Investigative Committee. Her body showed multiple injuries.

Investigators recovered adhesive tape used to bind the victim’s hands and a paper candy wrapper at the scene, but the evidence did not initially help identify the perpetrator. Years later, renewed genetic testing of biological material left on the wrapper, along with multiple witness interviews, helped establish the suspect’s identity.

Authorities said the suspect is a 35-year-old citizen of Uzbekistan who had been working on repairs at the house. Investigators believe he had been secretly living in the property after work was suspended for the winter, and attacked the woman when she unexpectedly arrived.

The man had previously been convicted of a similar robbery involving the use of tape to bind a victim, authorities said.

A Russian court has sentenced him in absentia to 13 years in prison. He has been placed on an international wanted list, the Investigative Committee said.