Contract Killing Uncovered: Two Individuals Arrested, Client Identified

The investigative department of the Investigative Committee of Armenia, handling the criminal case in the administrative regions of Erebuni and Nubarashen, is conducting extensive investigative and procedural operations regarding the death of E. Gyulazyan, a resident of Spitak, which occurred on March 8, 2018. Initially categorized as an accidental overdose of drugs, the circumstances of his murder have come to light, indicating that it was a contract killing, resulting in the arrest of two individuals.

On March 8, 2018, the body of E. Gyulazyan, who was born in 1983, was discovered on the road from the village of Azatana in Shirak region to the village of Arevik. A forensic medical examination revealed that his death was due to acute poisoning from foreign substances, which included methamphetamine and cannabinoids.

Months after the incident, new details related to the case emerged during the investigation of other criminal matters. As a result of numerous urgent investigative actions and extensive operational-search measures carried out by the investigative department of Erebuni and Nubarashen, in cooperation with the prosecutors of the same administrative regions and the Erebuni division of the Armenian police, it was determined that the resident of Spitak did not die from a drug overdose but was a victim of murder, commissioned by a former convict of the 'Nubarashen' penitentiary.

In February 2019, during the investigation of criminal cases related to the illicit trafficking of drugs, it was discovered that a detainee born in 1974, accused of kidnapping and whose case was under trial at that time, contracted his cellmate, a young individual born in 1995, to commit the murder of E. Gyulazyan, injecting him with a large amount of drugs to create the illusion of an overdose.

After agreeing on a fee of around $10,000 for the murder, the 23-year-old accomplice established contact with a female acquaintance born in 1995, who consented to carry out the killing under the specified conditions. Following a pre-developed scenario, the 23-year-old woman, posing as a sex worker, contacted E. Gyulazyan and met him at a hotel in Gyumri, where she injected him with drugs to simulate an overdose.

To conceal the crime, the incapacitated and helpless young man was transported to a desolate area, where he was found on March 8, 2018, at 08:00. He died in an ambulance on the way to 'Gyumri Medical Center' from acute poisoning caused by foreign substances, including methamphetamine and cannabinoids.

Considering that the investigation into the illegal drug trafficking cases uncovered a new crime—specifically, the intentional deprivation of life of another person by a group of individuals under an intent to conceal another crime—a new criminal case has been initiated under article 104, part 2, points 1, 8, and 11 of the RA Criminal Code.

Additionally, it was revealed that following the fact of E. Gyulazyan’s death, materials related to his death were prepared in the investigative division of the Shirak regional administration of the Investigative Committee of Armenia, and criminal cases were opened for the illegal circulation of 'Methamphetamine' and 'Marijuana' under articles 266, part 1, and 268, part 1 of the RA Criminal Code. These cases were later suspended, and a decision was made on August 14, 2018, not to pursue criminal charges regarding E. Gyulazyan’s death.

Based on the factual data obtained by the investigative department of Erebuni and Nubarashen, on March 4, 2019, by the decision of the RA Prosecutor General, the previous decision of the Investigative Committee’s Shirak regional administration not to pursue criminal charges for E. Gyulazyan’s death was annulled.

With sufficient evidence, charges have been filed against the 23-year-old woman under article 104, part 2, point 8 of the RA Criminal Code, and against the man born in the same year under article 38-104, part 2, point 8. The court of general jurisdiction of Yerevan applied a measure of restraint in the form of arrest to both of them on March 5, 2019.

The perpetrator who ordered the murder, Ruben Artashes Sarkisyan, a resident of Gyumri, previously convicted of serious intentional crimes and born on September 5, 1974, has been declared wanted for the crime stipulated under article 38-104, part 2, point 8 of the RA Criminal Code.

An order has been given to the relevant police department to locate and present him to the prosecuting authority.

The preliminary investigation continues, with measures being taken to ensure an objective, comprehensive, and multifaceted investigation of the circumstances surrounding the case.