Autopsy Report into 19-year-old Footballer Case Released
On July 10, the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia released an autopsy report regarding the case of death of Giorgi Shakarashvili – a 19-year-old football player of FC Saburtalo, according to which “Shakarashvili died from asphyxia due to drowning.”
The Prosecutor’s Office also said that most of the injuries on Shakarashvili’s body, including in the head and face, right elbow and right forearm, stomach, groin, and pubic bone were sustained shortly before his death.
“According to the autopsy report, all these injuries, taken separately, belong to the category of light injuries,” the statement released by the Prosecutor’s Office reads.
In view of the autopsy and other evidence into the case, the Prosecutor’s Office re-qualified the case; it will conduct the investigation under article 109 of the criminal code of Georgia, involving murder under aggravating circumstances by a group and punished by imprisonment for a term of 16 to 20 years or life imprisonment.
Giorgi Shakarashvili went missing during the night of June 18/19, after a birthday party in a house rented by his friend reportedly grew into „a verbal and physical confrontation” between two groups of people.
On June 22, the young man’s body was found dead in the basin of the Aragvi River, near the town of Mtskheta, following four days of search and rescue. On June 26, police arrested 17 persons in connection with the Shakarashvili case. Two days later, Mtskheta District Court sent them to pretrial detention.
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