[DV_listserv] FW: Investigators Close Investigation into Lazukin Family Murders and Nearby Homicide of Devin Matlock

[Domestic Violence issues]

See below for the press release from the Marion County DA's office regarding the domestic violence-related homicides that occurred in Salem in May of this year.

INVESTIGATORS CLOSE INVESTIGATION INTO LAZUKIN FAMILY MURDERS AND NEARBY HOMICIDE OF DEVIN MATLOCK

Posted: September 10th, 2012 3:49 PM
Photo/sound file: http://www.flashalertnewswire.net/images/news/2012-09/1416/57491/jeep_033_JSTAPLES.jpg
Photo/sound file: http://www.flashalertnewswire.net/images/news/2012-09/1416/57491/04_06_24.jpg (Lazukin's Jeep driving in Walmart parking lot)
Photo/sound file: http://www.flashalertnewswire.net/images/news/2012-09/1416/57491/03_40_46.jpg (Christina Lowe emerging from Lazukin's Jeep at Walmart)

After extensive efforts employing the combined work of the Salem Police Department, the Salem Fire Department, the Oregon State Police Crime Lab, the Oregon State Medical Examiner, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Marion County District Attorney's Office, investigators have concluded the investigations into the homicides of four members of the Lazukin Family, the shooting death of Nikolay Lazukin (27 years), as well as the nearby homicide of Devin Mattock (21 years).  Police contacted over 100 individuals and examined numerous items of evidence.  After careful review, the Marion County District Attorney's Office has determined that Nikolay Lazukin is solely responsible for the murders of his wife Natalya, his three children, and Devin Matlock.

On May 22, 2012 at 04:23 AM a delivery truck driver noticed what appeared to be a body on the side of Fisher Rd NE, near the corner of Devonshire in Salem and called police dispatch to report it.  It was originally thought that the individual may have been the victim of a hit and run vehicle.  The victim was identified as Devin Richard Matlock and was deceased when police responded to the scene.

On May 22, 2012 at 05:28 AM a call of a house fire at 2580 Fisher Road NE, Salem was made to Salem Dispatch.  The location of this fire was approximately 527 yards south from the body of Devin Matlock.  Upon arrival, Salem Fire Crews found the home to be on fire and worked quickly to remove the bodies of four victims inside.  A female adult was removed from her bed and an infant female was removed from a crib in that same master bedroom.  Two young female children were removed from their separate beds in an adjacent bedroom.  Fire crews suppressed the fire leaving the structure still standing.

Upon closer examination of the victims it was determined that some of them had suffered from apparent gunshot wounds.  The victims inside the home were identified as:

          Natalya Lazukin DOB (26 years)
          Angelica Lazukin DOB (3 years)
          Zoe Lazukin DOB (22 months)
          Sulamia Lazukin DOB (4 months)

Natalya's husband and the father of all three Lazukin daughters was determined to be Nikolay Lazukin.  At the time that the bodies of his family were discovered, his whereabouts were unknown and the family's Jeep Cherokee was missing.

In speaking with Natalya's family, investigators soon learned that her father had received a text message from her phone earlier that morning at 6:03 AM, presumably after her death.  That message read:

     "Please forgive me.  They took control of my body and did it.  I BEGGED THEM NOT TO
         BUT THEY DID.  I'm so sorry.  PLEASE GOD FORGIVE ME.  MY LAST FIGHT I HAVE LOST AT
         EXIT 174."

Given this information, Salem detectives requested the assistance of police agencies in the Cottage Grove, OR area which surrounds Exit 174 off Interstate 5.  Shortly thereafter, Nikolay Lazukin was located deceased in the back seat of the family's Jeep Cherokee which was parked in a motel parking lot near Exit 174. He had an apparent gunshot wound to his head.  Nikolay Lazukin's body was transported for an autopsy and the vehicle towed to the Salem Police Department for evidence processing.

On Tuesday May 22, 2012, Dr. Larry Lewman of the Oregon State Medical Examiner's Office conducted an autopsy on Devin Matlock.  Cause of death was determined to be blunt force head injuries while the manner of death was concluded to be homicide.  Matlock suffered blows to his head resulting in numerous lacerations of his face, loosened teeth, and fractures of his nose, jaw and cranium.  His face further suffered a patterned abrasion from a foreign object.

On Wednesday May 23, 2012, Dr. Larry Lewman also conducted autopsies on the four Lazukin family members found in the home.  Natalya's cause of death was determined to be two gunshot wounds to her brain.  Dr. Lewman further concluded the manner of death was homicide.  No evidence of any recent sexual activity or sexual assault existed. Similarly, Zoe Lazukin was determined to have died from two gunshot wounds to the brain.  The manner of death was homicide.  Angelica Lazukin was determined to have died from a singular gunshot wound to the brain.  The manner of death was ruled homicide.  The youngest of the Lazukin girls, Sulamia Lazukin, was the only family member who was not shot.  Dr. Lewman determined the cause of her death to be traumatic asphyxiation.  The manner of death was again ruled as homicide.

On May 24, 2012, Dr. Lewman conducted an autopsy on Nikolay Lazukin. Cause of death was determined to be a gunshot wound to the brain and manner of death was ruled suicide.  Though much speculation has occurred over the condition of Nikolay's body and thus the cause of his death, there is absolutely no medical evidence to suggest that he suffered any trauma from any other person or that his death was the result of anything other than a self-inflicted gunshot wound.  The state of his post-mortem body was entirely consistent with suicide.  Further toxicology results revealed no controlled substances or common pharmaceuticals in his system.  His blood alcohol content was .01.

Once Nikolay Lazukin's body was discovered, investigators turned their focus to determining two important facts; first, what transpired during the last hours of Nikolay Lazukin's life and second, whether a connection existed between the homicide of his family and the homicide of Devin Matlock.

To that end, detectives obtained a search warrant for the Lazukin Jeep Cherokee authorized by Judge Dennis Graves of the Marion County Circuit Court.  The window of the Jeep Cherokee had been previously broken by the initial police officers responding to the scene.  This was done in an attempt to gain entry and check on the welfare of and potentially administer aid to the sole occupant, Nikolay Lazukin, who was lying in the back passenger area.  Once the vehicle was opened by those first responders, it was evident Lazukin was deceased.

A search of that vehicle was first conducted even before the body of Nikolay Lazukin was removed.  Inside the vehicle was a loaded .380 handgun near the hand of the deceased.   Lazukin had an apparent wound to his face and dried blood on the bottom of his shoes.  In the back cargo portion of the Jeep, detectives located a baseball bat that appeared to have blood on it as well.  Detectives seized these items along with an iPhone for scientific forensic testing.   The iPhone was subsequently identified as belonging to Natalya Lazukin and was the phone used to send the text message to her father earlier that morning.  Also in the vehicle was over $300 in cash, eyeglasses belonging to Nikolay Lazukin sitting undisturbed on the center console, his wallet in a door pocket as well as an iPad and two cameras plainly visible on the back seat floorboard.  There was no indication of any fight, struggle or theft attempt within this vehicle.  The Jeep's taillights were found to be only pa
rtially functioning.

Detectives determined that the handgun located in the Jeep belonged to Nikolay Lazukin and had been given to him by a family member.  It had been in his possession for some time.

A search warrant was similarly obtained and executed for the Lazukin residence. The odor of gasoline was evident to fire investigators at the scene.  Heat, smoke and soot damage was obvious in most areas of the home but appeared concentrated in the bedrooms and hallway.  In the middle of the bedroom where the bodies of Angelica and Zoe were found, investigators located the remains of a 5 gallon plastic gas can that had melted down to the base.  A nozzle to a gas can was found in the neighboring master bedroom wedged between the bed frame and the mattress.  Those items were seized as were several test samples of various items in the house (bedding, flooring, stair treads).  Trained arson investigators determined that there were three areas of fire damage in the residence.  Each area burned independently of the others.  No accidental ignition sources were found in the areas of the fire. The origin of fire was the stairway to the attic, the entryway into the children's bedroom a
nd a wall in the master bedroom.  The cause was incendiary, meaning a substance was used to start the fire.  Subsequent laboratory analysis by the Oregon State Police Crime Lab on the samples taken from the home revealed ignitable liquid residue consistent with gasoline.

Two computers were located in the home.  A forensic examination of the computers, supplemented by records from Chemeketa Community College where Lazukin was enrolled as a student, revealed Lazukin was signed on to his account until just before midnight on 5-21-12.

Also during the search, investigators found partial loaves of bread that contained bullet holes.  Bread remnants were also found in the bed of one of the Lazukin children.  It was apparent that loaves of bread had been used to try to suppress or 'silence' the sound of gunfire.

Investigators also recovered several spent bullets and casings used to commit the murders.

Surveillance video from businesses near the two homicide scenes for the dates of 5-21-12 & 5-22-12 was obtained and reviewed by detectives.  Lazukin's  Jeep Cherokee was initially captured on Wal-Mart video surveillance travelling on Fisher Road and driving past the area where Matlock's body was found at two separate times beginning at 1:48 AM on 5-22-12. The vehicle is easily identified by its make, model, license plate and distinctive taillights that were only partially functioning.  At one point, Lazukin's Jeep stops at the corner of Fisher and Devonshire for two minutes.

This same vehicle is next seen driving past Wal-Mart on Fisher Road three more times beginning shortly after 2 AM.  At 3:38 Lazukin's Jeep is captured again on surveillance entering the Wal-Mart parking lot and parking.  A female exited the passenger side of Lazukin's Jeep and entered the Wal-Mart store where she could be seen shopping.  Lazukin's Jeep remained waiting there until it began driving out and around Fisher Road again at 4:06 AM, making several passes around the general area until it is seen exiting the Wal-Mart parking lot.  The female passenger never re-entered Lazukin's Jeep.

At this same time, a delivery van can be seen driving on Fisher Road past Devonshire Ave.  This truck was driven by the initial complainant who at that moment was discovering the body of Devin Matlock.  Once Lazukin's Jeep came into view of the delivery truck, Lazukin's Jeep backed up into the Food 4 Less Parking Lot and turned around.  The Jeep traveled out to Lancaster Drive and by 4:28 AM was seen eastbound on Beverly Avenue.  Lazukin's Jeep was not seen again in the area.

The distance between the Intersection of Fisher Road and Lancaster Drive in Salem and Exit 174 in Cottage Grove is approximately 94.4 miles.  Google Maps estimates the travel time between these two locations to be approximately 1 hour and 42 minutes.

Salem Police Detectives quickly identified the woman exiting Lazukin's Jeep and entering the Wal-Mart store as Christina Lowe (27 years).  She was soon contacted and interviewed in detail.  The following was determined from that interview:

Around 02:30 AM on May 22, 2012 Christina Lowe was captured on surveillance video from the Super 8 Motel in Salem, Oregon and walking across the parking lot toward the Holiday Lodge.  A man whom she had never seen before was sitting in his car and yelled at her to attract her attention.  The man agreed to give Lowe a ride when asked.  Lowe can further be seen on surveillance video leaving in a Jeep Cherokee at 02:53 AM.  Lowe described the vehicle as a red "SUV" with child car seats inside, and she further identified the driver as Nikolay Lazukin from his DMV photo.  Lazukin told Lowe that he lived with his ex-wife and three children and that he was out looking for cocaine.  He further asked her if she would go to Hawaii or Mexico with him.

The pair drove around for a while at which point Lazukin drove to his house to retrieve some money.  Lazukin parked on Fisher Road near an apartment complex.  As he exited the vehicle, he removed what Lowe thought were magazines for a firearm out of the glove box.  Lowe did not see where Lazukin went and remained in the car while he was gone.  Lowe could not confirm how much time elapsed while Lazukin was gone, but when he returned, he inquired whether she heard a fight he had with his ex-wife.  Lowe maintained she had not heard anything.  At one point Lazukin asked her whether she would remember talking with him if police contacted her.  She confirmed she would.  Lazukin gave Lowe $25 in cash to purchase a cell phone and drove her to Wal-Mart where she went into the store.  She expected Lazukin to be waiting for her when she was finished shopping as she had left all her personal belongings in his vehicle.  When she exited the store at 04:24 AM as captured on store video surv
eillance, Lazukin was no longer there.

Lowe fully cooperated with investigators during several hours of interviews.  She further provided hair and DNA samples for potential forensic comparison and agreed to polygraph testing, the analysis of which found her to be truthful.

On May 24, 2012, some of Lowe's belongings were found by a witness along side of I-5 near Cottage Grove.

Detectives were also able to determine Devin Matlock's whereabouts prior to his death.  Close friends confirmed that he had been with them enjoying dinner and a late night video at a friend's residence in the Lancaster Commons apartment complex in Salem.  This was a common occurrence for Matlock and his social circle.  He left the residence for his home on Wayside Terrace NE, Salem some time before 2 AM by himself on foot.  His friends indicated that he always walked the same route home and further described it to include the exact location on Fisher Road at which his body was found.  Investigators concluded that Matlock had been killed during his walk home shortly after leaving his friends.

Numerous items of evidence were submitted to the Oregon State Police Crime Lab for forensic testing.  After intensive forensic review and analysis, all of the completed results were returned for investigative consideration by the first week of September.

The .380 handgun belonging to Nikolay Lazukin was test-fired and forensically compared to the spent bullets and casings found at the Lazukin home and recovered during autopsies.  Results concluded that Lazukin's gun fired those bullets and casings.

A fingerprint was found on the trigger of that gun.  That print was identified as coming from the thumb of Nikolay Lazukin.  DNA found on the gun also belonged to Nikolay Lazukin.

Blood was confirmed to be on the striking end of the bat found in Nikolay Lazukin's Jeep.  DNA testing revealed the blood to be that of Devin Matlock.  Similarly, the blood on the bottoms of both of Nikolay Lazukin's shoes was also Devin Matlock's.

The patterned impression discovered on Devin Matlock's jaw during his autopsy was compared to the tread on the bottom of Nikolay Lazukin's shoe.  The impression and the shoe were found to have similarities in both tread design and physical size.  Thus, Lazukin's shoe could not be excluded as the source of the impression.

There is no indication that Nikolay Lazukin and Devin Matlock had ever met prior to the early morning hours of May 22, 2012.  Further, there is no evidence that Devin Matlock had ever been to the Lazukin residence or knew any other member of the Lazukin family.

There are further no prior reports to law enforcement or any other official agency by Natalya Lazukin regarding any prior acts of domestic violence by her husband.  Salem Police detectives interviewed numerous family members, friends, and co-workers of Natalya Lazukin.  None reported any knowledge of any prior incidents of domestic violence or threats in the home.

After reviewing the entire investigation into the murders of the Lazukin family and Devin Matlock, the Marion County District Attorney's has concluded that Nikolay Lazukin is solely responsible for the deaths of his wife, his three young daughters and Devin Matlock.  The investigation into these crimes is now closed.  No grand jury will be convened nor any charges filed as the potential defendant is deceased.

[Attachments: Photos. 1. Lazukin's Jeep Parked at Walmart and Christina Lowe emerging from vehicle.  2.  Lazukin's Jeep leaving Walmart to drive around general area.  3.  Lazukin's Jeep in Cottage Grove.  Baseball bat can be seen in cargo area.


Contact Info: Paige Clarkson, Deputy District Attorney
503-588-5222
pclarkson at co.marion.or.us<mailto:pclarkson at co.marion.or.us>

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