Man 'stabbed friend to death, then raped victim's mother'

Man stabbed friend to d

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
A 24-year-old man was arrested on Sunday evening on suspicion of stabbing a friend to death because he was asked to leave for refusing to keep the noise down, and then subjecting the murder victim's mother to more than 24 hours of sexual assault, police said. The suspect, Andrey Lushchenko, 24, a resident of Yavne, is a former IDF combat soldier who immigrated to Israel from Ukraine in 1996. On Saturday evening, according to police, the suspect and his victim, 28-year-old Sergei Kolsnikov arrived at the latter's Rishon Lezion apartment after drinking heavily in a pub with a number of friends. "Kolsnikov tried to get some sleep, while Luschenko was playing on a computer game. Kolshnikov asked him to stop playing and leave, and an argument developed," a police source told The Jerusalem Post. Intoxicated and enraged, Luschenko went to the kitchen to get a knife. He punched Kolsnikov, then stabbed him to death in his bed, police allege. The victim's mother woke up, and Luschenko proceeded to subject her to "more than 24 hours" of rape and assault, the source said. In an effort to cover up the crime, Luschenko allegedly removed various items from the apartment that could have led police back to him, and hid the murder weapon near his home in Yavne. The woman managed to phone emergency services after the suspect left on Sunday. She was rushed to hospital and required surgery. The Central Police District's Central Unit led the investigation, and used a combination of witnesses and electronic tracking means to locate Lushchenko. At first, the suspect denied the allegations against him, but then went on to make a confession, according to a police statement. Luschenko led police to the knife he had hidden near his home. A court extended the suspect's remand until January 10.