NORFOLK, Va. - According to court documents, a man arrested in Petersburg on Tuesday and facing charges for the murder of his son, also has some ties to Norfolk.
Artur Kharendzyuk
Newport News Police say they obtained an arrest warrant charging Artur Kharendzyuk, 25, with the second degree murder of his 1-year-old son on Tuesday, after a tenacious investigation by Special Victims Unit detectives.
The warrant stems from the October 30 incident, when police got a call to the 300 block of Charles Street for a 1-year-old child not breathing.
The child was transferred to Portsmouth Naval Hospital and placed on life support but did not respond to treatment, and was pronounced dead on November 1.
Prior to this incident, a stipulation of facts shows that Artur Kharendzyuk was shot in an apartment on Gifford Street, on February 3, 2015, by his then pregnant wife, Hannah Bergee.
Both were members of the United States Army.
According to court documents, prior to the shooting, the couple had marital problems over issues of trust.
Kharendzyuk confronted Bergee over texts that he claims indicated infidelity, and a few days prior to the shooting, confronted her over a letter from a male that believed indicated she was cheating.
Court documents say that on the day of the shooting, Bergee received a text message from Kharendzyuk that made her upset.
After that, according to her co-worker, Bergee took of a photograph of her and her husband off the wall at work.
Documents say Bergee agreed to an Alford plea malicious wounding, meaning she didn't admit guilt, but agreed there was enough evidence for a potential conviction.
Her attorney, Andrew Sacks, says the shooting was self-defense. "I think you have a woman who was in absolute fear, was pregnant, was afraid something bad was going to happen to her or her kid," Sacks said. Court documents say Kharendzyuk denied ever being physically abusive. Sacks says Bergee took a plea deal in the hopes of getting a lesser sentence. She'll be sentenced in January.
Kharendzyuk sustained permanent disability of his right arm and was medically discharged from the Army.
Newport News Police say the cause of death of Kharendzyuk's son is pending the final autopsy report from the Medical Examiner.
