Boy Accused of Killing his Mother, Grandmother Imprisoned

Mikheil Zautashvili, 19, has been arrested on charges of killing his mother and grandmother with an axe in Tbilisi. The decision was announced today by the judge Giorgi Keratishvili.

At today's trial, the prosecution demanded that the detainee be kept in imprisonment due to the severity of the crime. This standpoint was shared by the defense.

“To ensure the security of the accused, the defence complies with the prosecution's position”, said Zautashvili’s lawyer, Tamar Gachechiladze. The lawyer went on to suggest that the psychological state of the accused be investigated.

Yesterday, Mikheil Zautashvili was officially charged with the crime under Articles 11 (I) and 109 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which envisage the intentional killing of a family member with the utmost brutality. 

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Zautashvili murdered his mother (DoB 1974) and grandmother (DoB 1946) while they were asleep; the investigation claims to have uncovered the motive: the accused killed his grandmother and mother on the basis of a past conflict. 

By Elene Dzebisashvili