John Jefferson
Inset: Andrey Demskiy (Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office). Background: Authorities responding to the home where Demskiy allegedly beheaded his son (KTVU).
A 28-year-old man in California is accused in the “gruesome” killing of his 1-year-old son, allegedly using a knife to decapitate the child following an argument with his wife and mother-in-law. Andrey Demskiy was taken into custody on Friday and charged with one count each of murder, assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury, and corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant, records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
According to a news release from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a residence in the 7500 block of Versailles Way on Dec. 20, at about 4:15 a.m., regarding a reported “family disturbance.”
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders made contact with an adult female outside of the residence who identified herself as Demskiy’s wife. The wife told deputies that Demskiy had just assaulted her and her mother. Emergency medical personnel transported the wife’s mother to a hospital for treatment of injuries described as “non life-threatening.”
Deputies say they then attempted to contact Demskiy, who was still at the residence. However, when they knocked on the door, he refused to answer and “surrender peacefully.”
“A short time later, Deputies learned that a one-year-old male child was inside the residence alone with Demskiy, and that Demskiy had possibly injured the child after throwing him,” the release states. “Fearing for the child’s safety, Deputies forced entry into the residence and attempted to detain Demskiy, who was uncooperative and became physically resistive. As Deputies took him into custody, they made the gruesome discovery of a severed child’s head in the bedroom where Demskiy was contacted and detained.”
Detectives with the sheriff’s Child Abuse Bureau, which typically handles investigations into murders involving children, were contacted and responded to the scene to take over the case.
Following a preliminary investigation, detectives determined that Demskiy had initially been “involved in a domestic violence incident with his wife and mother-in-law,” which led to the 911 call. After placing the call, the two women both exited the residence and waited outside for deputies to arrive.
“Once they exited the residence, Demskiy used a knife to behead and murder his one-year-old son,” authorities wrote.
Demskiy was taken into custody and booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail. He is currently being held in detention without bond. The defendant is scheduled to appear before a judge on Tuesday.
Amar Gandhi, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office told Sacramento NBC affiliate KCRA that deputies who responded to the scene were “visibly shaken,” saying it was “one of the most horrific things” he had ever encountered.
“There’s no rationale, there’s nothing I can say,” Gandhi told Oakland Fox affiliate KTVU. “I have three kids, I know the deputies here are all parents themselves — it’s evil.”
A GoFundMe page identified the victim as Micah Demskiy. The page was formed to help the boy’s mother in setting up memorial and funeral arrangements. The mother is currently unemployed and needs to relocate, per the GoFundMe.
“The sweet little boy was a kind and joyful soul, loving all people and especially dogs,” the page states. “His kind heart and beautiful smile warmed the hearts of everyone he came in contact with. He loved his family and especially his mama. He loved being with family, going to the park, and singing hymns with his family.”
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