The young man found guilty of committing a double murder in an apartment in Chisinau’s Botanical district last September will serve 24 years in a closed prison. This sentence is by 4 years longer than the initial one, as decided by the Chisinau Court of Appeals.

Under the new ruling, the man was also ordered to pay 326,000 lei damages to the victims’ families, the Prosecutor General’s Office said in a press release.

In September 2018, the 21-year-old joined two other men, 30 and 31, for drinks at one of the victim’s place on Trandafirilor Street, after meeting them at a dance club some time before. Taking advantage of them falling asleep from drinking, the young man stabbed his acquaintances and stole possessions estimated at 37,000 lei before leaving the two bleed to death.

The victims’ bodies were discovered two days later by one of the victims’ mother.

The perpetrator was shortly found and arrested, and it turned out the 21-year-old had been convicted for multiple thefts and robberies before.

The decision is appealable at the Supreme Court of Justice.