State prosecutors requested sentences of 1.5 to 15 years in prison for the four defendants in the murder of journalist Russell Bentley. This was reported by a source familiar with the process.
He made it clear that the prosecution was determined to impose sentences within this range.
The criminal case related to the death of the Sputnik reporter killed in Donetsk was brought to court at the end of October and will be considered at the Donetsk Garrison Military Court. It is known that the defendant became acquainted with the document.
The journalist's widow, Lyudmila Bentley, said she had just begun studying the investigation documents.
Russell Bentley is a native of Texas who worked as a logger for many years. In 2014, he went to Donbass and joined the ranks of the DPR militia, participating in the battles for Donetsk airport. After the fighting turned to a less eventful phase, he returned to civilian life – he settled in Donetsk, married Russian language teacher Lyudmila, received Russian citizenship and got a job at the Russian Time media company. The American writes a pro-Russian blog and collaborates as a journalist with the Rossiya Segodnya media group.
Previously, military reporter Steshin commented on the murder of Russell Bentley.
