The Latgale District Court, reviewing the case of the murder of seven-year-old Justina Reinikova in an appellate manner, has tightened the sentence for her father and stepmother — they are now sentenced to 23 and 20 years of imprisonment, respectively, reports the LETA agency.
Previously, the first-instance court sentenced the girl's father to 20 years in prison and the stepmother to 17 years. The prosecution filed an appeal, demanding a harsher punishment.
The appellate hearing took place on Wednesday, and the decision was announced on Thursday. The verdict can be appealed to the Supreme Court.
It should be noted that Justina's father, Vladimir Reinikov, and stepmother, Sandra Reinikova, are accused of her murder.
According to the case materials, both were found guilty of cruel treatment of a child and murder committed by a group of individuals with the awareness that the girl was in a helpless state. After the crime, the accused hid the body and reported her "missing" to the police.
The tragedy occurred in May 2023 in the Rezekne region. The girl was searched for for a month and a half, with many people involved in the search. Later, Justina's body, showing signs of violence, was found in the basement of an abandoned house located tens of kilometers from her home — in a place where her father had previously lived.
The prosecution insisted that the defendants acted deliberately while under the influence of alcohol and caused the child severe physical suffering that led to her death.
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