RIGA - The Latgale District Court in Daugavpils on Tuesday found her father and stepmother guilty of the murder of seven-year-old Justine Reinikova, sentencing them to 20 and 17 years in prison respectively, the court informed LETA.
Justine's father Vladimirs Reinikovs and stepmother Sandra Reinikova were charged with murder. Both defendants were also placed under probation supervision for three years.
The verdict has not yet entered into force and can be appealed to the regional court.
During the court debate, the prosecutor asked the court to sentence the stepmother to 21-year imprisonment and three-year probation supervision for two separate offences, and the stepfather to life imprisonment and three-year probation supervision for three separate offences.
The sentence imposed by the court differs from the sentence requested by the prosecutors during the trial debate, and the court will therefore be asked to prepare a full judgment. After reading it, a decision will be taken on whether to appeal, the prosecutor's office told LETA.
Both defendants were found guilty of cruel and violent treatment of Justine, a minor, as well as guilty of murder of the girl, committed in a group of persons, knowing that the minor child was in a helpless state and that as a result of their violent actions, the death of the girl could occur, and knowingly allowed indifference to the occurrence of the death of Justine. Subsequently, in order to conceal the traces of the crime committed, the corpse of the girl was concealed and the police were misled about her disappearance.
As reported, Justine from Rogovka village in eastern Latvia went missing in May 2023, was found dead in late June, and injuries on her body suggested that she had probably been murdered.
Two persons - the dead girl's father and stepmother - were detained on suspicions of killing the child. According to police representatives, the girl's body with visible injuries was found in a cellar of an abandoned house in the midst of a forest, several dozen kilometers from the girl's home.
Latvian Television reported that the family of the missing girl had been known to custody court staff. The girl's father and stepmother with four children were newcomers in the area, the family had moved to Rogovka about six months ago. Due to her health problems, the girl did not attend the local school. The girl's biological mother reportedly lives abroad.
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