Novgorod case

The Novgorod Case was a criminal case in Russia from 2007 to 2024, notable both for its public resonance in 2007-2008 and for the length of time during which the defendant and the presumed victim (mother and daughter) were wanted, found alive after having disappeared for 15 years. The case involved Antonina Martynova (formerly Fyodorova, née Stepanova) from Veliky Novgorod, born in 1985. She was charged with attempted murder while trying to murder her then 2-year-old daughter, Alisa, in February 2007, by throwing her into the stairwell. The sole witness was an 11-year-old boy. Antonina and her defence have claimed that the girl fell by accident. Antonina was prosecuted under Articles 30.3 ("Preparations for a Crime, and Attempted Crimes") and 105.2 ("Murder") of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (CC-RF). (CC-RF henceforth; these links and other Code(s) links below are for the English translation(s) of the latest versions of the Code(s), those currently in force in Russia). The case sparked extensive public debate in Russian media, online communities, and blogs, with a large-scale campaign in support of Antonina's innocence. Discussions began in April 2007 with a post on the Russian-language blog of Antonina's domestic partner (later her second husband), Kirill Martynov (LiveJournal user "hvil"). In July 2008 a closed trial was held, at which a panel of jurors found the defendant guilty. However, Martynova–Fyodorova failed to appear at the next hearing where she was expected to be sentenced and incarcerated, disappeared together with her daughter, and remained on the wanted list for 15 years and 8 months. In the spring of 2024 Antonina Martynova was detained by police in Stavropol. Her daughter Alisa, by then aged 19, had been living with her, and later testified in her defence. The proceedings resumed from the same stage at which they had...