Ukrainian law enforcement agencies are investigating the grisly murder of a judge and three family members, who were beheaded in the city of Kharkiv.
Kharkiv Judge Volodymyr Trofimov, 58, his wife, son and the son's girlfriend were found dead in Trofimov's apartment on Saturday. All the bodies had been decapitated and the heads were missing, according to prosecutors and the police.
A prosecutor's spokesman said today that investigators believe Trofimov's killing could be connected to his job, because the murder took place on December 15, which is Judge's Day in Ukraine.
Investigators also think the killing could have been the result of a robbery, because some belongings are missing from the apartment, or a contract murder.
No further details were available today.
Published 17 December 2012, 15:30 IST