BELGOROD, August 23 (RAPSI) – A Russian court sentenced the infamous Belgorod shooter who killed six people in a random shooting spree earlier this year to life imprisonment Friday.
The Belgorod Regional Court found Sergei Pomazun guilty of six counts of murder and sentenced him to life in prison.
On April 22, Pomazun opened fire in a weapons store, killing three people, and then shot another three people on the street outside. Five people died at the scene, including a 14-year-old girl. Another victim, a 16-year-old girl, died later in intensive care.
On April 23, Pomazun was detained as he attempted to flee the city on a freight train. He was identified and detained by transport police. He resisted arrest and managed to wound one of the police officers.
A psychiatric evaluation found the shooter sane, but his lawyer has argued that the results were debatable, having overlooked numerous nervous breakdowns.
Defense attorney Sergei Yeremeyev has called for a new psychiatric evaluation, citing Pomazun's own testimony as grounds for a new examination. Among other things, the defendant claimed to have participated in Russia’s counter-terrorism campaign in its turbulent North Caucasus region. Numerous witnesses denied he had done so in court.
The lawyer also said that relatives of the accused had noticed strange behavior in him.
"I think Pomazun has his own warped perception of reality. He is drawn into some kind of world where he knows how to operate weapons and navigate the landscape like a soldier, following his own plan," Yeremeyev said, noting that such behavior is not unlike that observed in schizophrenic disorders.
"In this case he dreamed up some kind of special operation, with an intent to procure weapons, which ultimately resulted in murder. He claims his alleged involvement in the Chechen War was the reason," Yeremeyev said.
In July, Pomazun was removed from his own trial for disorderly conduct. The judge reprimanded him for screaming profanities during the court's first session. He was removed from the room again later when an under-age girl was preparing to take the witness stand and he responded with more shouting, profanities and threats of violence to the judge
Prosecutors sought a life prison term, while Pomazun had requested a maximum sentence of 25 years.
