POLICE yesterday continued investigations into the brutal murder of a Russian couple and their guest at a villa in the Sea Coast area of Peyia village near Paphos on Wednesday. Police suspect the crime was planned and carried out by foreigners.
The bodies of Vyacheslav Shevchenko, 51, Valentina Tretyakova, 25, and Yury Zorin, 56, were found by police on Wednesday evening wrapped and taped in black liner bags in the bathtub. The men were found partially clothed while the woman was naked, police said.
A post-mortem yesterday revealed that all three had died from multiple wounds to the head inflicted by a sharp object. State pathologist, Sophoclis Sophocleous, concluded the three died from “heavy cranial cerebral injuries”. He ruled out any form of sexual attack on any of the victims.
Deputy Police Chief Charalambos Koulentis said yesterday police were following all leads in the gruesome triple murder, which he described as “a horrific crime”.
The nature of the crime and its execution suggested foreign elements were involved in the planning and execution, he said.
“The crime is new to us, in terms of the style and execution. We haven’t seen this before. Of course, nothing can be ruled out and we are not just focusing on foreigners,” said Koulentis.
The Deputy Chief said the attackers had left behind a large number of clues that could help in the investigation. After the three were murdered, there was an effort to cover the bodies in black bags and meticulously pack away house items, including drawers, fitted carpets and curtains.
“There was an effort to pack them in bags, with the intention of removing them from the scene,” said Koulentis. The bags were apparently abandoned there, scattered around the house and in the neighbouring yard.
“This is being examined. We are making efforts to gather the information, we hope to solve the case,” he added.
Police have information that one of the victims had criminal links with the underworld in Moscow. He had been investigated there in the past but nothing came of it, said Koulentis. None of the victims had a criminal record in Cyprus.
Police informed the Moscow Interpol branch of the killings, and asked for further information on the victims.
According to reports, the two men both had offshore companies registered on the island. One of them dealt with foreign investments.
According to Russian reports, Shevchenko, a former MP, was facing trial for allegedly forcing journalists who were critical of his business empire to pay him £8,000.
They suggested the men could have been killed on orders from their rivals in St Petersburg’s thriving entertainment industry or by a criminal group.
Some reports had linked Shevchenko to the 1998 murder of Galina Starovoitova, a prominent liberal MP, whose murder is still unsolved.
The murders shook the normally sedate village of Peyia, popular among British retirees. Police suspect the three were bludgeoned to death between 2am and 5am on Wednesday. Initial examination of the bodies revealed their heads had been mutilated.
Police were alerted when the victims’ lawyer, who is from Nicosia, informed the police on Wednesday that his clients had missed a meeting that day.
Shevchenko and Tretyakova owned the villa in Peyia and would come and go from Cyprus often. According to reports, Schevchenko was a wealthy businessman, while Zorin was staying with Schevchenko and had plans to build his own house in Cyprus. The three had been to leave the island today.
