Russian solder Valery Permyakov was sentenced on Tuesday, August 23 by an Armenian judge to life in prison for killing the seven members of Avetisyan family in Gyumri, a town in the country’s north.

The prosecuting attorney had earlier demanded a life term for the accused, while Permyakov himself had pleaded guilty, saying “he was sorry.”

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.