MOSCOW - A federal judge who oversaw the prosecution of a number of hate-crime cases was shot and killed Monday the stairwell of his apartment building in central Moscow. Police said the contract-style killing of Judge Eduard Chuvashov, 47, was probably connected to his work
The killer, who used a silencer and wore a baseball cap, was caught on a surveillance camera as he strode in and out of the building.
Neighbors told reporters the judge never talked about his work and had displayed no signs of anxiety.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev vowed that "everything necessary will be done to punish the organizers and perpetrators of this callous murder."
In late February, Chuvashov handed down sentences ranging from 6 to 23 years to nine young men, the so-called "White Wolves," who were charged with murdering dark-skinned people chosen at random, often filming the assaults on cell phones and posting the footage online.
One of the defendants, Ivan Strelnikov, told Chuvashov in court: "They come here and they cannot find a job. They are not employed, there is nothing to do, they commit crimes. They rob average Russian people and rape girls."
Chuvashov responded: "Do you know them personally? Do you know them?"
Last week, Chuvashov reviewed sentences in the trial of a gang known as the "Ryno band," which preyed on migrant workers from central Asia, upholding two 10-year sentences and increasing a third from 20 to 22 years.
