Murder of a teenager on a funicular. Underage witness refused to testify due to anonymous threats

At a court hearing on January 9 in the case of 16-year-old Maksym Materukhin, who died on a funicular, the Shevchenkivsky District Court of Kyiv extended the preventive measure for defendant Artem Kosov until March 9. At todayʼs hearing, Maksymʼs underage friend, who was with him during the tragedy on the funicular, refused to testify due to threats and pressure on social networks.

This was reported to Babel by the lawyer of Oleksandr Materukhin, the father of the deceased Maksym, Oleksandr Panchenko.

He emphasized that the boy had already contacted the police and the prosecutor due to threats on social media from anonymous accounts.

Other underage witnesses of the tragedy and Maximʼs friends are also being threatened on social media. In particular, an unknown person wrote a comment to Maximʼs girlfriend, Maryana, saying, "Youʼll meet Max soon".

The case is being considered on its merits, and today they heard the testimony of three witnesses — two funicular employees and a police officer who arrived on call after the tragedy.

A total of 21 witnesses appear in the case — 7 minors and 14 adults. The teenager, who turned to the police because of anonymous threats, is the last minor witness who has not yet been questioned by the court. In total, seven of Maksymʼs friends who were with him on the funicular were to be questioned. Six have already been questioned at court hearings on August 13 and September 4.

The next court hearing is scheduled for February 5.

Artem Kosov is currently being held in custody at the guardhouse of the Central Directorate of the Military Law Enforcement Service of Kyiv and the region.

• On April 7, 2024, an employee of the State Security Department Artem Kosov, who, according to the investigation, was drunk and on drugs, clung to passengers in the Kyiv funicular. Among them was Maksym Materuhin. After getting out of the car, Kosov pushed the guy. Maksym smashed the glass in the station window with his head — a fragment cut his carotid artery, the guy died on the spot. Kosov faces up to 15 years in prison or life imprisonment on suspicion of premeditated murder.

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