rejected their appeal.
In published remarks, a court official said the Monday, June 26, ruling would be released in full on July 10, but that the appellants’ motion to have their sentences overturned had been rejected.
Karlis Magone was sentenced to 20 years and Ingus Smitkins to 15 years in prison last October for murdering and robbing Drew Rush, a missionary from Charlotte, North Carolina.
The sentences were reportedly stiffer than the 17 years for Magone and 12 years for Smitkins which prosecutors had requested. Both men also received three years probation, had their properties confiscated, and were ordered to pay for damages and the funeral costs.
KILLED IN APPARTMENT
Rush, 50, was found dead in his apartment in central Riga November 1, 2004. He had been living in Latvia for over two years and his activities were related to Latvia’s National Armed Forces where he was evangelizing and teaching English as part of his work for ‘Agape’, a mission branch of the Campus Crusade for Christ group.
Investigators said at the time that Rush was found with a knife plunged in his chest and what appeared to be strangulation marks around his throat, BosNewsLife monitored. A few days later Latvian police detained Magone, who was doing compulsory military service in the Latvian army, and Smitkins, who was unemployed, The Baltic Times newspaper reported.
Shortly before the killing, Magone reportedly escaped from a psychiatric hospital in Riga where he had been sent by his battalion commander for evaluation. He was later caught and returned to the hospital, where he was arrested several days after the murder.
MURDER CONFESSION
While Magone only admitted to his involvement in the theft, Smitkins confessed to his participation in the murder. Eventually the court considered Smitkins’ confession in giving him a lighter sentence. The men were convicted for strangling Rush to death in his apartment while robbing him of about $1,800 in cash and stealing two laptop.
Observers said the men have 10 days in which to file a final appeal to the Supreme Court Senate, which can only examine whether a lower court had properly followed legal procedure in ruling on a case, not on the facts and evidence presented in the case. The murder prompted Christian organizations to urge for prayers for missionaries working in Latvia, a former Soviet Republic which joined the European Union and NATO in 2004.
There are Evangelical as well as Mormon and Jehovah’s Witnesses missionaries working in Latvia. Most of the country’s 2.3 million residents are believed to be Lutheran, Russian Orthodox, or Catholic.
MAJOR SETBACK
Rush’s sudden death came as a major setback for Evangelicals. "I know of no other ministry in Latvia that has done such a good job of reaching men for Christ," said David Lloyd, national director of Agape Latvia, recently. Agape said Rush had been active within the Latvian military with several activities, including discipling Christian officers, teaching Christian-based leadership material and showing the world famous Jesus film to each new conscript.
In addittion, "at Christmas Rush was giving out "Survival Kits" including toothpaste, boot polish and Christian literature such as More Than a Carpenter, by [author] Josh McDowell." He also took "10 to 15 soldiers to church each week" and showed them "The Passion of the Christ," film, followed up with conversations about Christ.
Handing out Bibles was another passion. "He arranged to have 5,000 camouflage-covered Latvian New Testaments printed for the troops…for distribution." Before he died, Drew Rush apparently told his co-workers that "strategically speaking" his ministry could "reach all the Latvian men going into the military." In addittion with the campus ministry reaching "all the university students, we have reached 90 percent of Latvian men 18 to 20 years of age. They all go to one place or the other," to spread the Gospel.
Though a quiet and humble man, Drew was described by some as the best evangelist on the team, Agape officials said. "He seemed prepared to talk with anyone on any topic," said Paul Pettijohn of Agape’s International Military Ministry. "He would gracefully bring the conversation to focus on eternity." His co-workers believe Rush too, is now with Christ. (BosNewsLife’s Stefan J. Bos contributed to the story).
