Hard lesson: Namin's stepson sentenced to 18 years for double murder

A court has sentenced Roman Tkachenko, the stepson of rock musician Stas Namin, to 18 years in a high-security penal colony. According to investigators, he stabbed his grandmother and stepbrother to death in a private house in the Moscow region in October 2023. Tkachenko's defense tried to prove that he killed in a state of passion and suffers from a split personality. But the examinations refuted this. What is known about Roman Tkachenko's life is in the Izvestia article.

The verdict of Stas Namin's stepson

On March 31, the Moscow Regional Court sentenced Roman Tkachenko, the stepson of famous rock musician and producer Stas Namin, to 18 years in prison in a high—security penal colony. The prosecutor insisted on a more severe punishment — 20 years in a penal colony.

Tkachenko was found guilty of murdering his brother and grandmother. At previous hearings, the defendant's lawyer insisted that his client was in a state of passion at the time of the murder. In addition, the defender stated, Tkachenko suffers from a split personality. The defendant himself claimed in court that at the time of the massacre he was acting on behalf of his alter ego named Zera.

Four examinations were conducted as part of the trial: the first one confirmed that the accused was in a state of passion, but the next three established that he understood what was happening.

The deliberate nature of his actions, as well as the brutality with which he committed the murder, are the reasons why the prosecutor's office requested a long sentence. According to her representatives, Tkachenko's true motive was selfishness. According to one version of the investigation, the reason for the crime could be a family conflict over the sale of the house.

The bodies of Stas Namin's mother-in-law and his 30-year-old son Artyom Mikoyan with stab wounds were found in a private house in the village of Kryukovo near Moscow on October 19, 2023. Roman Tkachenko was detained at the crime scene. According to Izvestia's sources, he called the police himself and confessed to the double murder.

During the interrogation, Tkachenko said that on the day of the murder he quarreled with his grandmother — they lived together. The man waited until the elderly woman fell asleep, and then stabbed her. After that, Tkachenko contacted his stepbrother Artyom Mikoyan and told him about the incident. He immediately went to the scene, and also warned his mother Galina Mikoyan about the incident. When she arrived at the cottage, she found Artyom's body at the entrance to the house.

According to the case file, the deceased was stabbed 11 times in the back, chest and left hand.

Galina Mikoyan found Roman Tkachenko in the house, saying a prayer next to the body of his grandmother. Later, he claimed that he did not remember the moment of the murder of his relatives.

How Tkachenko lived

Galina Mikoyan is the third wife of Stas Namin. In 1993, their son Artyom was born, and they divorced in 2015. Before marrying Namin, Galina was already married and gave birth to Roman.

The artist's press service reported that he had not communicated with his stepson and his mother for many years. Besides, he didn't approve of Roman's lifestyle.

"In fact, he was never adopted and has been known for cruelty and meanness since childhood. He was arrested several times on suspicion of murder, had a criminal record, and was prone to gambling and drugs," the artist's press service said.

Stas Namin's first wife, Anna Isaeva, said that Roman had always been a "strange, mentally unstable boy." According to her, unlike his half-brother Artyom, he had nothing to do with theater or cinema.

"My own son (Artyom. — Ed.) He was a wonderful boy, wonderful. He's from the world of cinema. He graduated from the Scenic Design University in New York. A talented, good boy, kind and very gentle," Isaeva told Izvestia.

Anna Isaeva also commented on the version of the conflict on the basis of real estate. She stated that all property issues between Stas Namin and Galina Tkachenko were resolved peacefully many years ago and the parties had no claims against each other.

At one of the court sessions, Tkachenko's lawyers stated that, despite the financial well-being of the family and the opportunity to study abroad, disharmony and loneliness reigned in his soul "since childhood." And a friend of the accused testified that after breaking up with his lover, his character changed noticeably: he became withdrawn and depressed. The witness also said that he had never noticed Tkachenko's outbursts of unreasonable anger or aggressive behavior.

Tkachenko had a previous criminal record — in January 2007, he killed a woman with his Honda Accord in southwest Moscow. Then the court sentenced him to two years of probation.

Why was the verdict harsh?

Tkachenko's sentence was set at almost the highest limit, said Oleg Kim, a lawyer and partner at the Legal Advisor law office.

— He was convicted under part 2 of Article 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (Murder of two or more persons). For committing such crimes, the penalty is imprisonment for a term of 8 to 20 years, or a life term. But capital punishment is rarely given," the expert said.

According to him, 18 years in prison instead of 20, which the prosecutor's office demanded, is standard judicial practice.

Vladimir Sobolev, a lawyer at the Moscow Regional Bar Association, also called the sentence harsh.

"As for Tkachenko's previous criminal record, if it is expunged or withdrawn, the person is recognized as not convicted," explained Albert Khaleyan, partner of the Vector Prime Moscow Bar Association.

This circumstance excludes the possibility of considering such a criminal record as aggravating, but it can be taken into account to characterize a person, the expert noted.