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 fatally stabbing a friend because he was asked to leave his home after refusing to keep the noise down, and then subjecting the dead man's mother to more than 24 hours of sexual assault, police said on Monday. The suspect, Andrey Lushchenko, from Yavne, is a former IDF combat soldier who made aliya from Ukraine in 1996. Police said that on Saturday evening, Lushchenko and his friend, Sergei Kolsnikov, 28, 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 Lushchenko was playing on a computer game. Kolsnikov asked him to stop playing and leave. An argument developed," a police source told The Jerusalem Post. Intoxicated and enraged, Lushchenko went to the kitchen to get a knife. He punched Kolsnikov, then stabbed him to death in his bed, police said. The victim's mother woke up, and Lushchenko proceeded to subject her to "more than 24 hours" of rape and assault, the source said. In an effort to cover up the crime, Lushchenko 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 to locate Lushchenko. At first, he denied the suspicions against him, but he went on to make a confession. Lushchenko led police to the knife he had hidden near his home. A court extended his remand until January 10.