The verdict of Valery Permyakov, the Russian soldier who fled a military base in Gyumri, Armenia and killed seven members of the Avetisyan family on January 12, 2015, will be announced on August 23 at noon.

At a session in the Court of First Instance of Shirak province, Permyakov’s lawyer, Eduard Aghajanyan delivered a defense speech.

Permyakov, meanwhile, rejected a last word chance.

At an earlier session on August 12, the prosecuting attorney demanded a life term for the accused.

The legal successors of the brutally murdered Avetisyan family have filed a complaint against Russia with the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

Six members of the Avetisyan family, including a 2-year-old girl, were found dead on January 12, 2015, in their home in Gyumri. All the victims were shot or stabbed; a 6-month-old boy, stabbed in the attack, died of injuries a week later.

Permyakov, who was 18 at the time of the killings, was detained near Armenia’s border with Turkey after fleeing the Russian base.