You're reading: Zakharchenko: Police know names of those involved in murder of Kharkiv judge and his family

The police already know the names of the people involved in the murder of Judge Volodymyr Trofymov and his family in Kharkiv, Ukraine's Interior Minister Vitaliy Zakharchenko said on ICTV channel.

“As of today, we have a certain theory, which is in my opinion the
most probable… We are currently searching for several individuals who in
our opinion could be involved in the crime. So, we already know the
names of these people,” Zakharchenko said.

At the same time, the minister said there was no absolute certainty
that these people had killed the judge. “But we are certain that they
were involved in the crime,” the minister said.

Zakharchenko also said that Trofymov and his family were not killed for revenge.

“We cannot talk about revenge. The judge did not consider such cases in court for which one could take revenge,” he said.

As reported, on December 16, 2012, the decapitated bodies of
58-year-old judge Trofymov, his 59-year-old wife, 30-year-old son and
his son’s 19-year-old girlfriend were found in the judge’s flat. A
criminal case under Article 115 (premeditated murder) was opened.

Investigators believe that the theft of the coin collection of
Trofymov was the motive for the murder of the judge and his family. The
investigation is also working on a line of inquiry on the professional
activities of judge Trofymov.

On December 19, 2012, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych also made
an announcement: “I have ordered an investigation into the case of the
murder of the judge and his family, as it is a challenge to the whole of
Ukrainian society. Solving this crime is a matter of honor for all of
the law enforcement agencies,” he said.

On February 27, 2013, Zakharchenko said that some of Trofymov’s
belongings started surfacing in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, as well as
other towns.