Man who killed with 42 hammer blows and burned victim in Ivanovca sentenced to 18 years
A 33-year-old man was sentenced to 18 years in prison by the Chisinau Court for the brutal murder of a local man from Ivanovca in the Hâncești district. The defendant attacked the victim with a hammer, striking him 42 times, and subsequently set the body on fire. Although the crime occurred in 2019, the sentence was delivered following a trial initiated by PCCOCS prosecutors in February 2025. In addition to the prison sentence, the defendant is required to pay the victim's sister 100,000 lei in damages.
According to the Prosecutor's Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Causes (PCCOCS), a murder occurred on a Monday morning following a weekend during which the defendant had consumed alcohol. The defendant approached the victim's home under the pretense of wanting to buy cigarettes from the store. Once inside, he committed the murder with extreme violence.
Witnesses reported that the man behaved aggressively even before the incident, and he fled the scene immediately after committing the crime. Prosecutors indicated that the individual had a criminal record, with previous convictions for hooliganism, theft, and home invasion; he had served his last sentence in 2016.
The case was initially investigated by the Hâncești Police Inspectorate. However, in November 2023, the Prosecutor General ordered the transfer of the case to the Prosecutor's Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Causes (PCCOCS).
