Russian Soldier Behind Armenian Massacre Says ‘Noise’ Made Him Kill

The Russian serviceman accused of killing a family of seven in the Armenian town of Gyumri last year said he killed two kids because they were making noise, the Interfax news agency reported Friday.

“It was noisy, the kids were crying, the dogs were barking in the yard. I killed [the kids] to stop the noise,” Valery Permyakov was quoted as saying by Interfax at a court hearing.

Permyakov has fully confessed to the crime.

Six members of the Avetisyan family, including a two-year old girl, were shot dead on Jan. 12, 2015 in Gyumri, where Permyakov was stationed at a Russian military base. A 6-month-old baby that survived the massacre, suffered stab injuries and died after a week in hospital.

According to the investigation, on the day of the murder Permyakov left the military base with an AK-74 rifle, broke into the house of the Avetisyan family and shot them.

He was detained on the same day while trying to cross the border into Turkey.

The incident caused outrage among Armenian citizens and was followed by a series of protests.