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Man gets death sentence for raping, murdering nine-year-old boy

The Homyel Regional Court on Friday sentenced a 27-year-old man to death by shooting for raping and murdering a nine-year-old boy last fall.

Pavel Lenoy had been convicted for committing lewd acts on children twice and spent nearly five years in prison in the past.

The man was found guilty of raping and beating the boy to death on September 24, 2007, three weeks after his release from prison. In particular, he hit the nine-year-old in the head, neck and chest, causing the victim to suffer a fatal heart attack.

Mr. Lenoy was arrested after the boy’s friends told the police that it was the man who had taken him to a forest.

Mr. Lenoy is no stranger for the boy’s family, who are neighbors with his parents. In addition, he was a classmate of the boy’s uncle.

In an interview with BelaPAN, the mother of the boy, Natallya Maladzetskaya, described the sentence as fair. “He doesn’t deserve life, doesn’t deserve even prison walls, I would have found it hard to live knowing that this bastard lives somewhere,” she said.

The woman and the boy’s grandmother said that the accused had denied an intention to murder the boy and written a four-page speech in his defense. “When the ruling was announced, the maniac started shaking and crying,” they said.

The sentence was announced on the day of his 27th birthday.

Mr. Lenoy can appeal the sentence or file a petition for mercy within 10 days.