5 charged with premeditated murder in case of deceased 19-year-old footballer

Five of 17 detainees in the high-profile case of the death of 19-year-old footballer Giorgi Shakarashvili have been charged with premeditated murder. 

The Georgian Chief Prosecutor's Office reported at a special briefing earlier today that the five detainees attacked and then threw Shakarashvili into Aragvi river on June 19, 2020, which caused his death.

The Prosecutor’s Office says that more than 1,000 investigative activities have been conducted into the case with the involvement of Israeli and US law enforcement  agencies. 

Shakarashvili went missing while at a friend’s birthday party in Mtskheta, a town outside of Tbilisi, early on June 19.

His body was found in the river Aragvi after a four-day search, on June 22.

The Prosecutor’s Office says that a brawl took place at the birthday party on June 18 when one of the guests, Vakhtang Chikovani, was beaten.

The Georgian Chief Prosecutor's Office has released the video, depicting the development of events.

The Prosecutor’s Office says that most of the guests left the party following the brawl, while Chikovani returned to Tbilisi to collect his friends to take revenge.

Early on June 19 eight cars went from Tbilisi to Mtskheta –three of them from Saburtalo district of Tbilisi and the remaining five from Nadzaladevi district of Tbilisi. Video footage and the information provided by mobile operators confirm the presence of a Toyota car (with Chikovani in it) at the scene and the crime committed by five of six passengers of the car,” said the Prosecutor’s Office. 

The Prosecutor’s Office says that Shakarashvili (who was not involved in the brawl at the birthday party) was associated with the rivals of the passengers of the Toyota car and they ran after the boy, attacking him and then throwing him into the river. 

12 of 17 detainees in the case have been charged with group violence which is punishable by four to ten years in prison.

If convicted the detainees charged with premeditated murder will be sentenced to 13-17 years in prison.