Court acquits suspect in murder of official Denshchyk: DNA tests and camera footage deemed insufficient

Court acquits suspect in murder of official Denshchyk: DNA tests and camera footage deemed insufficient

The Oleksandrivskyi District Court of the city of Zaporizhzhya acquitted a man who was accused of complicity in a contract intentional murder by prior conspiracy of a group of persons.

This is reported by «Court Reporter» referring to the verdict dated May 4.

On June 11, 2024, around 8 a.m. in Zaporizhzhya, near the entrance of an apartment building, an unknown person shot at Maksym Denshchyk, the director of the legal support department of the city council. The official died from the injuries sustained.

Not long before that, Denshchyk had been suspended from his position due to an official investigation. Denshchyk himself claimed that it was done based on an anonymous letter about «abuse of authority».

On May 2, Maksym Denshchyk wrote on social media about pressure on him from the head of the regional military administration.

Later in court, the widow of the deceased said that her husband had been receiving threats on social media and by phone from two individuals. A month before the murder, her husband said he noticed that he was being followed, and his wife also noticed surveillance. According to her, the husband was convinced that law enforcement was following him to fabricate a criminal case. Once, she and her husband noticed two tall young men walking straight towards them. Despite everything, the couple did not contact the police.

Denshchyk’s wife heard shots in the yard from the apartment. From the window, she saw a stranger in a hood running along the fence. People on the street also saw a suspicious young man hiding his face either in a hood or covering it with a panama hat.

According to the investigation, 23-year-old boxer Yevhen Senin shot at Denshchyk; he was declared wanted.

A native of Melitopol, who is assigned the role of the driver, was detained.

Together, they allegedly committed a contract intentional murder by prior conspiracy of a group of persons.

Their presence in Zaporizhzhya that day was confirmed by CCTV footage and data on mobile terminal fixes. In one of the yards, law enforcement found a Nissan Almera car that the criminals allegedly used. Inside the car, their DNA traces were found.

The detained suspect did not admit guilt but did not deny that he was in Zaporizhzhya on business at that time and knew Senin. According to the accused, he was engaged in trading agricultural products and involved Senin in taking product samples from farmers.

The lawyer asked to acquit her client. She drew the court’s attention to the fact that none of the witnesses identified the accused. And one woman, saying she does not recognize car brands, remembered that the person who was likely the killer got into a green «Zhiguli» car.

The Nissan Almera car was found three days after the incident. The car was unlocked, and the collection of biological samples was not recorded on video.

According to the expert’s conclusion, the car recorded on video footage is only presumably a gray Nissan Almera vehicle.

The DNA research conclusions regarding Senin are based on the examination of certain items — a cap, a hat, boxing wraps. However, procedural documents as a result of which the investigator obtained these items were not provided to the court, nor was it confirmed that these items actually belong to Senin.

In general, the Nissan Almera contains DNA traces of five males and three females. Including, on the driver’s seat — three different males.

The evidence examined in the court hearing does not confirm that at the end of May or on June 10-11, 2024, the accused drove, got into, or got out of this vehicle.

Therefore, the joint use of the car by the accused and Senin and the presence of the specified car in the yard of the building have not been proven.

The court noted that no evidence of a «contract» murder was provided. The motives, the person of the customer, and the method of commission, etc., have not been disclosed.

The accused spent almost two years in custody and was immediately released after the verdict was announced. Although the verdict has not yet taken legal effect, and the prosecutor has the right to appeal.

As for Senin, the investigation is being conducted in another criminal proceeding, and as of early 2026, measures aimed at his search and detention were still ongoing.