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FBI Says Hit Man Charged In Attacks On Sarasota Couple

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By ELAINE SILVESTRINI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 8, 2008

Updated: 01/08/2008 03:30 pm

TAMPA – Someone really wanted to kill Grigori and Galina Komissarchuk.

The couple, in their sixties, have homes in Sarasota and Brooklyn, and were attacked at least four times at their homes and other places, according to federal court records. One time the attacker used a hammer. Both of them suffered skull fractures, and a slew of other injuries.

Now federal authorities have arrested and charged Edmon Vardanyan, 23, with traveling in interstate commerce with the intent to kill, injure or harass, according to a federal complaint. Vardanyan told investigators he was hired to kill the pair because they refused to pay a debt, the complaint states. He told investigators he was paid between $800 and $1,000 and had been offered $10,000 each to kill the couple.

The first encounter happened Sept. 24, 2006, when a man showed up at their Brooklyn home with an envelope marked "TLC," the complaint states.

The delivery man asked to come inside for a drink of water, and Grigori Komissarchuk refused to let him in. The man "positioned himself as if preparing to strike" Komissarchuk, who summoned his neighbor. The delivery man then quickly walked away, the complaint states. Komissarchuk later identified the delivery man as Vardanyan.

The next day, Grigori Komissarchuk was struck in the back of the head while returning to his car in the parking lot of a Home Depot in Brooklyn. He was then beaten and kicked until he was unconscious, the complaint states.

Komissarchuk required surgery for a ruptured pancreas and abdominal bleeding, according to the complaint. He had multiple facial fractures and cuts and was in the hospital for two weeks.

On Dec. 6, 2006, the Komissarchuks were staying in their Sarasota home. That night, after returning from a family dinner, an assailant armed with a hammer ducked under the closing garage door. The assailant attacked Galina Komissarchuk, and as her husband attempted to shield her with his body, the attacker beat them both, the complaint states.

Grigori Komissarchuk then cornered the assailant in the couple's Jacuzzi room, and the attacker beat him on the head with the hammer before running away, the complaint states.

Grigori Komissarchuk suffered a skull fracture, multiple cuts on his head and bruising on his arms, the complaint states. Galina Komissarchuk suffered two cuts on her head and multiple bruises on her arms and face.

Galina Komissarchuk later identified the assailant as Vardanyan.

On April 30, 2007, Galina Komissarchuk was hit on the head by an assailant in Brooklyn. She suffered a skull fracture. Grigori Komissarchuk and a neighbor chased the attacker down the street before losing him, the complaint states.

New York police later arrested Vardanyan, who was in a van with a Sarasota license plate. He was released, the complaint states.

Vardanyan was then arrested again, the complaint states. In interviews with investigators, he said he followed the couple to their Sarasota home and watched them. He said he was in their neighborhood at the time of the attack. He also said he had a hammer in his van, but denied being involved in the attack, the complaint states.

Vardanyan also told investigators he was with another individual on April 30 and watched Galina Komissarchuk return to her home. He said he approached Galina Komissarchuk and pushed her to the ground, but denied hitting her in the head, the complaint states.

He told investigators he wasn't paid for that attack because "he didn't do the job correctly," the complaint states.

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