The university student and his pal who brutally murdered the former’s chemistry professor and dissolved his dismembered body in acid after being inspired by a scene from Breaking Bad have been jailed for a total of 40 years.

Graduate student Dmitry Bykovsky, 35, who pleaded not guilty, was jailed for 21 years, while IT specialist Alexander Kharlamov, 31, who pleaded guilty, was jailed for 19 years for the brutal murder of Voronezh University Chemistry Professor Vyacheslav Kuznetsov, who was 58 at the time of his death on 4th March 2020.

The two men, who committed the grisly crime in the city of Voronezh in the Voronezh Oblast region in south-western Russia, were also ordered to pay over RUB 1.9 million (GBP 18,700) in damages to the victim’s family in the ruling on Tuesday, 15th February.

The two men are believed to have committed the murder to steal the victim’s savings of RUB 1.9 million (GBP 18,700), and they were reportedly inspired by the TV series Breaking Bad, in which there is a scene in which a body is dissolved in acid.

After dismembering the victim’s body, the two men transported and stored the body parts in hydrochloric acid and chlorine in containers on the balcony of another apartment they had rented.

The two defendants even invited friends over to the flat for drinks while the containers with the body parts inside were out on the balcony, where they were reportedly kept for around three months.

On the day of the murder, Bykovsky and Kharlamov showed up at the professor’s home and put chloroform over his mouth when he opened the door. The victim then died from injuries and acute chemical poisoning. The pair then decided to dismember his corpse and dissolve it in acid.

Bykovsky did not show any remorse during the trial, during which he was observed smiling on several occasions, and he also responded arrogantly while being cross-examined, even trying to ‘teach’ state prosecutors how to interpret the criminal code.

Bykovsky was reportedly close to the professor, who is said to have opened his door to him and Kharlamov trustingly.

The mature postgraduate student and his pal allegedly raided the professor’s bank account after his murder.

The victim’s sister, Tatyana Selezneva, had earlier said of the two defendants during their trial: “Let them suffer until the end of their days!”

It is currently unclear if the verdict can be appealed and if the defendants intend to do so.