Russian killer of Swiss border guard’s wife gets 20 years

A Moscow court Friday sentenced a Russian citizen to 20 years in prison after he was found guilty of slaying the pregnant wife of a Swiss border guard in 2002.

Alexander Bakayev was charged for carrying out a contract killing ordered by Klaus Opris, a German-Romanian citizen, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Romanian court in October 2004.

“Bakayev was found guilty of killing a woman he was aware was pregnant and of preparing the murder of a Swiss border guard,” the court said.

The motive for the murder was revenge against the Swiss border guard, Andrea Bertozzi, who along with two colleagues stopped Opris’ car at the Swiss border in 2002, sparking a dispute.

In December 2002, Opris along with Bakayev, who was armed with a knife and a handgun, broke into the house of the border guard in the Swiss town of Ponte Capriasca. Bertozzi was not at home at the time, but the criminals found his wife Flavia, who was pregnant with twins. She died after being stabbed by Bakayev.

Opris was arrested in Romania several days after the murder, but Bakayev remained at large for several years. He was put on the international wanted list and arrested August 4, 2005 in southern Russia’s Krasnoyarsk Territory.

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