Son of Former Senior Russian Official Arrested in Moscow Murder Case
The son of a former Russian minister has been arrested in Moscow on suspicion of stabbing an acquaintance to death in an apartment. The victim managed to crawl into the hallway for help but died in hospital hours later.
A man identified as Alexander Khotin has been detained in Moscow on murder charges after allegedly stabbing an acquaintance to death inside an apartment, according to law enforcement sources cited by Russian media on Wednesday.
According to RBC, Khotin was detained on Tuesday in the town of Mozhaysk, west of Moscow, where a search reportedly turned up a blood-stained knife in a bathroom. Investigators have opened a murder case.
Deadly altercation
Telegram channels with reported ties to Russia's security services say that on Monday night, Khotin got into an argument with 54-year-old Alexander Kumantsov inside an apartment in western Moscow. Sources differ on Khotin's exact age: Telegram channel Mash reported he is 33, while another channel, Shot, put his age at 34.
During the confrontation, Khotin allegedly stabbed Kumantsov at least seven times in the neck, face and head. Kumantsov managed to crawl out of the apartment into the hallway and knock on neighbors' doors for help, according to Ren TV. He died in hospital several hours later. Footage aired by Ren TV showed blood stains across at least two floors of the apartment building.
No officials have publicly commented on the investigation, and The Moscow Times said it could not independently verify the media reports.
Link to former official
Khotin is the son of Igor Albin, who served as Russia's minister of regional development from 2012 to 2014 and later as deputy governor of St. Petersburg from 2014 to 2018. Albin, previously known as Igor Slyunyayev, went on to hold executive roles at Gazprombank and worked as a university adviser after leaving government service. Ren TV reported that Albin and his son had been estranged for a long time and had not kept in contact.
