Post graduate students Dmitry Bykovsky, 35, and Alexander Kharlamov, 31, are accused of killing Vyacheslav Kuznetsov, 58, in western Russia in March 2020
Two university students said to have been inspired by a scene from Breaking Bad are on trial for murdering their teacher before dismembering his corpse and dissolving it in acid.
Dmitry Bykovsky, 35, and Alexander Kharlamov, 31, are accused of killing Vyacheslav Kuznetsov, 58, who was a reportedly renowned chemistry professor at the prestigious Voronezh State University in Russia.
The post graduate students allegedly did this to steal his £18,700 savings and were reportedly inspired by the TV series which includes a scene where a body is dissolved in acid.
The shocking murder took place on March 4, 2020 in the city of Voronezh, located in the Voronezh Oblast region in western Russia, and the defendants are now on trial.
After the body was dismembered, the pair allegedly transported and stored the body parts in hydrochloric acid and chlorine in containers on the balcony of another apartment they had rented.
The pair are even said to have invited friends over to the flat for drinks while the containers were out on the balcony with the body parts inside.
The defendants stood accused of having shown up at the victim’s home and put chloroform over his mouth when he opened the door.
Prof Kuznetsov then allegedly died from injuries and acute chemical poisoning.
The pair then decided to dismember his corpse and dissolve it in acid, it is alleged.
Bykovsky has reportedly not shown any remorse during the trial, during which he was observed smiling on several occasions and responded arrogantly while being cross-examined, even trying to ‘teach’ state prosecutors how to interpret the criminal code.
He was reportedly close to the professor, who is said to have opened his door to him and Kharlamov trustingly.
The mature students allegedly raided his bank account after his murder. They are also alleged to have kept the containers with the dismembered body parts inside on the balcony of the flat for about three months.
Prof Kuznetsov’s sister, named in reports as Tatyana Selezneva, supposedly spoke about the two defendants and said “let them suffer until the end of their days.”
Prosecutors have requested 21 years in prison for Bykovsky and 19 for Kharlamov.
Both defendants stood accused of a litany of crimes including committing murder in a group, robbery while causing grievous bodily harm to the victim, illegal entry into a dwelling, and theft of a passport and other personal documents.
The last hearing took place at the Voronezh Regional Court on 3 February, with the next date set for 15 February for the verdict.
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