The suspect in the murder of seven people in Zhytomyr region has died in the intensive care unit.

The suspect in the murder of six servicemen and one volunteer in Zhytomyr region, 62-year-old Anatoliy Zakarenko, has died in the intensive care unit due to deteriorating health. This was reported to "Suspilne" on December 20 by Zakarenko's son, Oleksiy.

According to Oleksiy Zakarenko, his father passed away on December 17 after spending two days in intensive care. In a comment to KP.ua, Zakarenko revealed that his father had a ruptured aorta and had previously complained of pain and had heart issues.

“He became unwell, we took him to the hospital. He was in intensive care for two days, but unfortunately, he died on the morning of December 17,” Oleksiy Zakarenko reported.

Anatoliy Zakarenko had been in custody since May 2020, during which he suffered two heart attacks. In the summer of 2022, due to his poor health, he was released to round-the-clock house arrest. He died before a verdict was reached in the case concerning the murder of seven individuals in Zhytomyr region.

The next court hearing is scheduled for January 13. According to the prosecutor in Zakarenko's case, Valeriy Sahadin, the suspect's wife or defense must provide documents confirming Zakarenko's death. After that, the court will determine whether to continue the hearing or dismiss the case due to the man's death.

Murder of Servicemen and a Volunteer in Zhytomyr Region – Timeline of Events

At the end of May 2020, a shooting occurred on the bank of a private pond near the village of Novoselytsia in the Popilnia community. Seven men from Kyiv, who were relaxing by the pond—former ATO participants, National Guard members, and a volunteer—were killed. One person from the group managed to survive. Anatoliy Bondarenko was detained on suspicion of murdering the men; the investigation revealed that he was acquainted with the vacationers, as they had visited before.

A hunting rifle, which Zakarenko used to kill the men, was seized from him, along with weapons registered to the deceased servicemen. Anatoliy Zakarenko was taken into custody without the right to bail, and he was escorted to the courtroom in a bulletproof vest and helmet to prevent vigilante justice.

Zakarenko claimed that his guests were the first to reach for weapons during an argument, and he began shooting in self-defense. However, the man who survived the shooting stated that there was no argument among the participants.

By 2022, law enforcement had commissioned approximately 200 expert assessments, and the court was set to hold 85 hearings in the case of the servicemen's murder. During this time, Zakarenko changed lawyers twice, accusing them of collusion with the prosecution. In 2022, the preventive measure of detention for the suspect was replaced with round-the-clock house arrest.