Their father is dead and, seven years later, legally convicted of abusing them. The three sisters who killed him still don't know if they'll ever be cleared.
On July 27, 2018, sisters Krestina, Angelina, and Maria Khachaturyan, then 19, 18, and 17, killed their father, Mikhail Khachaturyan, in the family's Moscow apartment. The case became one of the most closely watched in modern Russian history — and remains legally unresolved today.
What Led to That Night
According to the sisters and the investigation that followed, Mikhail had subjected his daughters to years of physical violence, psychological control, and sexual abuse. On the day of his death, he had reportedly returned home from psychiatric treatment and confronted his daughters again over household matters, spraying pepper gas in their faces. One sister had an asthma attack and lost consciousness from the gas. Fearing for her safety, the two younger sisters attacked their father with a knife and a hammer while he dozed in a chair; he woke and tried to defend himself before one of the sisters fatally stabbed him.
The sisters initially staged the scene to suggest self-defense against an active attack before calling police themselves.
Arrest and Public Reaction
All three sisters were arrested and initially charged with premeditated murder, a charge carrying up to 20 years in prison. Their defense argued the killing wasn't premeditated but a desperate act following years of documented, escalating abuse — including reported complaints to police and school officials that were never meaningfully acted on.
The case sparked large public protests across Russia and reignited long-running debate over the country's weak legal protections for domestic violence victims. Supporters viewed the sisters as victims left with no other options; others, including relatives of the father, argued the killing was a coordinated, premeditated act that should be prosecuted as such. Russia's domestic violence laws remain a genuinely contested political and legal issue, and this case became a central flashpoint in that debate.
Years in Legal Limbo
The case dragged on for years without a resolution. In 2021, investigators formally recognized the sisters as victims within a separate criminal case opened against their late father for sexual assault and torture — a development their lawyers called a breakthrough. But the murder case against the sisters themselves remained open, repeatedly sent back to prosecutors for further investigation into questions of motive and premeditation.
The Father Convicted, Posthumously
On April 21, 2025, a Moscow court found Mikhail Khachaturyan guilty, posthumously, of sexually abusing his daughters, causing serious bodily harm, and producing pornographic material involving them — though the criminal case against him was closed due to his death. His relatives appealed the ruling, seeking to have him declared not guilty; in November 2025, the Moscow City Court rejected that appeal, upholding the conviction. Following the posthumous conviction, the sisters' lawyers publicly expressed hope that the murder case against them would finally be dismissed on self-defense grounds.
The Case Reopens Again
That hope hasn't yet been realized. In January 2026, Russia's Investigative Committee reopened the murder investigation into the sisters despite their father's conviction, reportedly to determine whether their actions legally constituted murder or self-defense. As of the most recent reporting, the sisters remain under court-ordered restrictions barring them from communicating with each other, the media, or witnesses in the case.
Where They Are Now
According to their lawyer, the sisters have continued rebuilding their lives in the meantime — finishing school, working, and living independently, though separately from one another due to the ongoing legal restrictions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have the Khachaturyan sisters been convicted of murder?
No. Their case remains unresolved as of the most recent reporting, with the murder investigation formally reopened in January 2026.
Was their father convicted of abusing them?
Yes. In April 2025, a Moscow court posthumously found Mikhail Khachaturyan guilty of sexual abuse, causing serious bodily harm, and producing pornographic material involving his daughters. That conviction was upheld on appeal in November 2025.
Why does the case keep being sent back for further investigation?
Investigators have repeatedly been asked to further establish whether the killing meets the legal threshold for premeditated murder or should instead be classified as self-defense, given the documented abuse.
Did this case change Russia's domestic violence laws?
Despite sparking significant public debate and protest, no major domestic violence legislation had been enacted in Russia as a direct result of the case as of the most recent reporting.