Estonian hitman gets 10-yr jail sentence for murdering Lithuanian MMA fighter

KAUNAS - Estonian hitman Imre Arakas was sentenced to ten years in prison on Monday for the murder of Lithuanian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Remigijus Morkevicius and the attempted murder of Gija Zabachidze.

"The panel of the Criminal Chamber of the Kaunas Regional Court (...) decided to find Arakas guilty and (...) sentence him to a final combined sentence of ten years in prison," said Judge Giedrius Endriukaitis, who presided over the three-judge panel.

The verdict can be appealed to the Lithuanian Court of Appeal within 20 days.

Prosecutor Egidijus Palaima told reporters that Arakas should serve his sentence in Lithuania. However, if the defendant requests it, the possibility of transferring him to Estonia to serve his sentence will be considered.

The court also granted civil lawsuits filed by Morkevicius' former partner and her two sons, awarding them 50,000 euros each in compensation for non-pecuniary damages.

The claim filed by Morkevicius' other partner was partially upheld, with around 50,000 euros in support awarded to the murdered man's third child.

The court fully granted the civil lawsuit filed by the Lithuanian State Social Insurance Fund, ordering Arakas to pay over 15,000 euros to cover the medical expenses for Zabachidze, who was injured.

According to law enforcement, in July 2016, Arakas shot Zabachidze with a firearm equipped with a silencer, but the injured man survived. In December of the same year, Morkevicius was killed outside his home with an automatic firearm.

Prosecutor Zdzislav Tulisevski said that those who hired Arakas had promised him 75,000 euros but only paid him 5,000 euros.

During the trial, the prosecutor emphasized that Arakas was carrying out the orders of others. The pre-trial investigation into the individuals who hired him is ongoing.

Arakas had previously admitted to committing the crimes, expressed remorse, and apologized to the victims.

Six persons were recognized as victims in the case, and the same number of civil claims for compensation for pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages were filed.