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Konstantin Simberg, Case 1

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Konstantin Simberg:
Konstantin Simberg
Konstantin Simberg had agreed to take part in a staged burglary of 6,000 vials of human growth hormone, worth of nearly $1 million dollars. His role was to rent a U-Haul truck to transport the drugs. When he decided to become an informant for the police in order to help authorities implicate another man in the theft plot, his fate was sealed.

Simberg was on the phone in late 2001 with a Phoenix detective when he was struck with brass knuckles. In fact, the detective himself heard the yell. Simberg’s body was found a couple of days later near Fossil Creek. He had been beaten, stabbed, doused with gasoline and set on fire. One of his captors said he could hear Simberg screaming as he left the scene.

Two of the murder suspects were soon caught and later convicted of murder and kidnapping in Simberg’s death, 31-year-old Dennis V. Tsoukanov sentenced to 13 years in prison, and 30-year-old Chris Gabriel Andrews sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 25 years.

A third suspect, Mikhail Drachev, fled the United States and managed to elude authorities for 5 years till he was finally captured in Canada in 2007. It was Drachev who at the murder scene had given the victim a cigarette and offered him a blindfold, which the victim declined. Drachev and another man then tried to shoot Simberg, but the gun malfunctioned and didn’t fire. The men then set Simberg on fire and left him for dead. This was no accident. This was cold-blooded carefully thought-out, premeditated murder.

Mikhail Drachev received a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, kidnapping and aggravated assault and received the maximum sentence of 22 years for second-degree murder in the slaying of Konstantin Simberg. Drachev was also ordered to serve 15 1/2 years for kidnapping and aggravated assault.

Drachev will serve his sentence and will walk again free one day. Jodi Arias is facing the death penalty for killing her ex boyfriend. The Prosecution in the Arias case argued that the crime was committed in an especially cruel, heinous and depraved manner”. We are asking them to re-read how Simberg was murdered: Beaten. Stabbed. Doused with gasoline and set to fire. Yet, Drachev was offered a plea deal. Jodi Arias offered to plead guilty to second-degree murder but the State of Arizona said no.

Could we say double standards and if so, WHY?

Andrews profile
Andrews profile
Andrews conviction and sentencing
Andrews conviction and sentencing
Mikhail profile
Mikhail profile
Mikhail conviction and sentencing info
Mikhail conviction and sentencing info
Tsoukanov profile
Tsoukanov profile
Tsoukanov conviction and sentencing
Tsoukanov conviction and sentencing

 

5 Comments

  1. Who can argue that this crime wasn’t a PREMEDITATED, horrific crime! They freaking burnt a person alive!!!! And yet 2 out of 3 got 2nd degree murder sentencing???? GMAFB!!! And they will be walking free men one day? And Arizona is trying to kill Jodi? Wow. Just wow… TALK ABOUT DOUBLE STANDARDS! SMH!

  2. You certainly are right Pandora. . .What in the world? Because they were men maybe? You know boys will be boys sort of thing??? Only in Arizona.

  3. What it comes to THIS DAYS, is $$$$$$. . . . If you don’t have it, well tough luck. The system only works if you know someone or if you have money.

    One thing I do agree with Jodi is that we always need to document everything, no matter how significant or insignificant. DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT.

    • That’s partly true. Not always though and it can work out pretty well without money if the attitude of the protagonists is ok.
      But in this case I’m pretty sure this trial wouldn’t have the same outcome as it has, temporarily, at the moment if Jodi would have been able to afford a private defense attorney.
      I have no idea about the other teams before – I believe there were even two teams prior to Nurmi/Willmott, at least one (I don’t know why they were replaced) – and about their performance, but Nurmi was most of the time ineffective, bloodless at best and not paying attention at all, basically not doing his job because he actually thinks his only job was to avoid the death penalty which is some of the biggest bull crap I’ve ever heard.
      He also felt “harrassed” by Jodi when she was actually asking him to do his fucking job. How could she dare?
      Later he even backstabbed Jodi with his disgusting sell-out profiteer book – *vomit* – how little decency and integrity can people actually have? Almost the same with Martinez and his book. Well, and Willmott was ok but not the leading attorney.

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