Defendant remanded over deaths of Vladivostok restaurant owners

A court remanded a defendant in custody for one month and 29 days over the killing of two owners of Vladivostok’s Royal Park restaurant. The order followed an investigator’s application, the regional Investigative Committee said on October 9.

The bodies of a man and woman were found while a restaurant fire was being extinguished on October 7. Law enforcement authorities said the victims were spouses who owned the establishment. The detained man had worked for them.

The case was opened under Part 2 of Article 105 of Russia’s Criminal Code concerning the killing of two people. Remand is a measure during the proceedings rather than a verdict.

According to regional police, the attack followed a dispute between the employee and his female employer. Police reported that a knife was used against the woman and a baseball bat against the director, who subsequently arrived at the building.

Investigators link the later fire to an attempt to conceal the crime and make it appear accidental. Those circumstances are the authorities’ account and remain subject to examination in the case.

The establishment previously operated as a casino and club, and in recent years as a restaurant.