Murderer of three gets life sentence

RIGA - The Riga Regional Court handed PavelsKurganovs a life sentence for killing thee people and confiscated his property.

The court also ordered the accused to pay nearly 900 lats (EUR 1,280) incompensation to the relatives of his victims.

The man reportedly was homeless and did not have a place of residence.

The court ruling can be appealed before the Supreme Court within ten days ofJuly 14.

A total of 49 people are already serving life sentences in Latvia.

Kurganovs, who pleaded not guilty in court, was tried for aggravated murder,a criminal offense carrying life imprisonment or a jail term of up to 20 years.

According to the indictment, Kurganovs committed his first murder in April2001. Under the influence of alcohol, Kurganovs had an argument with hiscompanion over dealings in non-ferrous scrap metal and stabbed the man to deathwith a knife.

The next two killings occurred in August 2006 when Kurganovs again wasboozing together with some companions at an abandoned house. During anargument, Kurganovs beat and killed a woman with a board and then stabbed a manwith a knife.