I. THE ANGEL OF NOVOSIBIRSK AND HER AMBITIONS

Karina Zalizova was a 16-year-old high school student preparing for the start of a new school year.

She was known to everyone as kind and responsible, and her parents often called her a miracle or an angel. On August 28, 2015, Karina told her parents she was stepping out briefly and would be back before 6:00 PM. She never returned home.

Born in 1999, Karina was an only child, living in Novosibirsk, the largest city in Siberia. Her friends frequently commented that she was more mature and thoughtful than most of her peers, yet she remained gentle and calm.

She was self-taught in the Japanese language, buying books and diligently improving her skills daily. Karina excelled in science, particularly biology and chemistry, believing these subjects would form the foundation of her career.

Her dream was to become a doctor. Her parents enrolled her in a specialized school to receive the best education and prepare for medical school, moving her from a regular public school to Gymnasium No. 23, which focused on chemistry and biology.

II. MARK: THE PRIVILEGED AND UNSTABLE OBSERVER

Like Karina, Mark (surname withheld in reports) was also born in 1999 and grew up in Novosibirsk. They met two years before the tragedy at a friend’s birthday party.

Karina’s grandmother immediately noticed the boy’s intelligence, stating Mark had read all of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s books—heavy, serious literature not typically read by teenagers. Mark came from a background of immense wealth and influence.

His mother, Natalya, was a psychologist. Mark’s uncle, Alexander, was a recognized political analyst working for an analytical center under the Russian government. The family’s business, “Textol,” was reported to have earned over 600 million rubles in 2015 (approximately Php560 million pesos at the time).

Mark and Karina started a relationship that began smoothly. Karina was hopeful for a future with Mark.

However, Mark soon began displaying a volatile side. He became intensely jealous, and his text messages sometimes turned insulting, threatening, or even physically aggressive.

Karina confided in her friends that something was wrong with Mark, sensing his mental instability. Mark’s classmates complained about his aggression and bullying, and he occasionally confessed to friends that he contemplated ending his life or harbored desires to harm others.

Mark stopped sleeping, associated with people of ill repute, and expressed a wish to experience the sensation of using prohibited substances. While Karina remained dedicated to her studies, Mark’s behavior spiraled.

III. THE BREAKUP AND THE FALSE RUMOR

In the summer of 2014, Mark suddenly cut off all contact with Karina, vanishing from her life without explanation. Karina told friends he was just busy, forcing herself to appear strong, but she was visibly sad and had lost her usual vitality.

She continued to excel in school. For Mark, the opposite occurred: his friends noted he became quiet, argued frequently with teachers, and acted rudely in class.

While classmates complained, his teachers often overlooked his behavior due to his family’s influential background. By the summer of 2015, Mark and Karina were still not speaking.

Rumors began circulating that Karina had found a new boyfriend. Whether true or not, Mark immediately learned of the rumor because he had continued to stalk her online, meticulously following her life despite the lack of communication.

The rumor became the spark. Mark was severely affected; people close to him reported he flew into a rage, throwing his cell phone against a wall. On the morning of August 28, 2015, Karina attended an orientation at her new gymnasium, excited about the new chapter in her life.

It was also Mark’s birthday. His parents were traveling for work, leaving him at home with his younger sibling and a caregiver. Mark later admitted he felt lonely and invited Karina over, claiming no one had wished him a happy birthday.

IV. THE ROMANTIC SETUP AND THE LETHAL ATTACK

Mark prepared his room before Karina arrived, laying down a blanket and arranging candles—a deliberate romantic setup. However, he had also retrieved a knife from the kitchen and concealed it, ready to use at the right moment.

After a brief call from Mark, Karina told her parents she would be out quickly, not wanting to miss dinner. Karina had no premonition of danger, perhaps even feeling happy, believing Mark genuinely wanted to reconcile.

Mark led Karina upstairs to his room. The setup was indeed romantic, suggesting Mark was serious about apologizing and starting anew.

But as soon as Karina stepped inside the room, Mark produced the knife and launched a brutal attack. Experts confirmed Karina fought intensely, with numerous cuts on her hands where she tried desperately to defend herself.

Mark stabbed her 25 times, many aimed at her neck. After the assault, Mark calmly sat on the bed and watched Karina slowly lose her life.

He also bludgeoned her with a metal statue found in the room. Once Karina was unconscious, Mark took her cell phone.

He found it locked, so he grabbed the lifeless hand of the girl he had just attacked, pressed her finger to the fingerprint sensor, and successfully opened the device. Reading her messages, he was stunned: there was no new boyfriend. Karina had simply been busy with her studies and normal life.

V. THE ARREST, PUBLIC OUTRAGE, AND THE WEALTHY DEFENSE

Mark called a friend, confessing his criminal act. The friend initially dismissed it as a joke until Mark sent a photograph from the scene, causing the friend to immediately hang up and cut off all contact. Mark acted with chilling composure throughout this process.

His younger sibling and the caregiver heard nothing, the entire tragedy unfolding in silence. When Karina failed to return home, her worried parents began calling friends and acquaintances.

Later that evening, Mark’s parents returned home and entered his room, confronting the gruesome scene: Karina’s body lying on the floor, with Mark nearby. According to witnesses, Mark feigned unconsciousness.

His father attempted mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on Mark, who then regained consciousness and uttered the shocking line: “Why did you save me? I didn’t want this.” An ambulance was called, but it was too late; Karina had been gone for hours.

Karina’s parents were notified, the devastating news shattering their lives. Mark was arrested at his home, but instead of being sent to pre-trial detention, he was placed under house arrest.

The decision was widely attributed to his family’s wealth and connections, sparking immediate public fury. News spread rapidly on the Russian social network Vkontakte, where a petition demanding the cancellation of the house arrest quickly garnered over 130,000 signatures.

Karina’s grieving parents were tortured by the thought of the man who ended their daughter’s life living comfortably at home. Due to massive public criticism and media coverage, the authorities were forced to act.

Mark’s house arrest was revoked, and he was transferred to a proper detention center.

VI. THE TRIAL AND THE ABSENCE OF REMORSE

Mark underwent multiple psychiatric evaluations. The second and third, conducted in Moscow, diagnosed him with schizotypal personality disorder and a predisposition to sadism.

He was declared partially insane, meaning he understood his actions but had serious underlying mental issues. The case was reclassified as murder with special cruelty under Russian law.

Karina’s parents relentlessly pursued justice, meeting with top investigative officials. The case finally went to trial in the summer of 2016. The hearings were closed due to Mark’s minor status.

Mark behaved coldly, showing almost no emotion. He admitted the unlawful act, but bizarrely claimed some of the blows were meant “to speed up her passing,” minimizing her suffering.

Mark’s defense lawyer, Irina Khrunova, adopted a shocking and controversial tactic: she argued that the act was not cruel, and that Mark acted out of pity because Karina herself wanted to pass away and Mark was merely assisting her. This argument infuriated the grieving parents and the public, as it blatantly contradicted the evidence of Karina’s desperate struggle to defend herself.

On October 31, 2016, the court delivered its verdict: Mark was found guilty of murder and sentenced to nine years in confinement—the maximum penalty for a minor under Russian law. He was also ordered to undergo mandatory treatment in a psychiatric facility.

VII. THE UNPAID DEBT AND THE EARLY RELEASE

The court ordered Mark’s parents to pay 2 million rubles in compensation (approximately Php1.5 million pesos). However, the family refused to pay voluntarily, claiming they had no money, despite owning a multi-million-ruble cottage and profitable business.

Upon turning 18 in 2017, the debt was transferred to Mark, who likewise refused to pay. In confinement, Mark refused to work, amassed nearly 100 violations for misconduct and assaulting guards, and showed no remorse.

In 2021, due to his numerous violations, he was placed in a disciplinary cell regime, effectively nullifying his right to early parole. However, due to Russian law, which counts pre-trial detention time at a higher rate, Mark was released on December 8, 2023, having served the full period of his sentence.

He returned to Novosibirsk, the same city where Karina’s parents still reside and where the memory of the crime remains fresh. Despite his diagnosis and unpaid debt, the law deemed his release correct.

Karina’s parents sought intervention from the European Court of Human Rights but lacked the strength to continue. Mark’s father continued to claim the media exaggerated the situation.

This story serves as a painful reminder of systemic failures, where justice often appears biased, and a brutal criminal act is punished with a minimal confinement period, leaving the victim’s memory tainted by the murderer’s lies and unrepentant behavior.