Gerasimenko, a correspondent for the independent weekly Saratovsky Rasklad, was found dead in his apartment in Saratov in southeastern Russia, according to local press reports. Saratov Department of Interior spokesman Denis Zheltov said forensic evidence indicated that Gerasimenko had been killed around 1 a.m., the local television channel GTRK Saratov reported.
Gerasimenko’s mother found the journalist with a plastic bag over his head and multiple bruises on his body. Police found no signs of forced entry, but Gerasimenko’s computer was missing, local reports said. Gerasimenko had been investigating the corporate takeover of a local commercial enterprise, Saratovsky Rasklad Editor-in-Chief Vladimir Spiryagin told the United Volga news Web site.
In November, a regional court in Saratov convicted a local man, Sergei Finogeyev, in the killing and sentenced him to 18 years in prison. In a statement, the prosecutor’s office said the slaying occurred during a robbery.