A Russian YouTuber was detained after he livestreamed the death of his pregnant girlfriend on Wednesday. Stanislav Reshetnikov, who goes by the name Reeflay Panini on YouTube, locked his girlfriend Valentina Grigoryeva out on a balcony in freezing temperatures.
The Sun UK, citing Baza Media, reported that he was offered $1,000 by a viewer to lock Grigoryeva out in the sub-zero temperatures. However, other local reports said Reeflay told investigators he decided to "punish her" because her intestinal infection would make her "stink."
The incident reportedly happened at Reeflay's house in the outskirts of capital Moscow. Grigoryeva was only in her innerwear when the 30-year-old YouTuber locked her out on the balcony. According to local reports, she pleaded him to let her in but he refused to do so. After he finally let his girlfriend inside, he found her unconscious.
In the video, Grigoryeva's body could be seen lying by the door as Reeflay continued with the live broadcast. His attempts to revive her were unsuccessful. The YouTuber then lifted Grigoryeva's body and placed it on a sofa and covered her up. Suspecting something was wrong, he told his viewers: "I tell you she seems dead."
Reeflay continued to revive Grigoryeva and at one point he could be seen crying all the while without disconnecting the livestream. "Valya, Valya, damn, you look like you are dead. ... I'm worrying. Damn... I'm not feel her heartbeat," he said, according the Sun.
After repeated requests from viewers, Reeflay alerted the authorities. He refused to end the livestream even after the authorities arrived and told them that he did not anything wrong with Grigoryeva.
"What is there to regret? I didn't really do anything," he reportedly said.
Reeflay's neighbor told Ren TV that the couple's relationship was strained. The YouTuber often locked Grigoryeva out of his house, the neighbor reportedly said.
"There was another fight, he drove her out into the street, but when he saw us, he drove home," the neighbor said.
Authorities suspected that Grigoryeva died of hypothermia. If convicted, Reeflay could be jailed for two years.
"Information will also be checked about possible unlawful actions against the deceased by the young man in whose house the body was found," the Russian Investigative Committee reportedly said.
The case prompted Russian authorities to call for a ban on the broadcast of violent content online. Irina Kirkora, deputy chair of the Presidential Council for Human Rights, said that vloggers who broadcast violent content should be prosecuted.
