A suspect in the death of a prominent Russian scientist who was working on a COVID-19 vaccine will be released on Monday pending a lie detector test.
Police have also released new details about the suspected death of Alexander “Sasha” Kagansky, 45, who was found dead with a stab wound after he dumped 14 floors from his high-rise apartment in St. Petersburg on Saturday, according to reports.
Kagansky, who was in his underwear, was discovered by a neighbor outside the building.
The suspect, identified as a childhood friend of Kagansky, told police they were celebrating the scientist’s birthday when he stabbed himself and jumped to his death, Moscow Times said.
A Russian news site, Fontanka.ru, identified the suspect as journalist Igor Ivanov.
Police detained the suspect for 48 hours for questioning, but were scheduled to release him on Monday pending a polygraph, Moscow Times said.
Best known for his work in the field of cancer research, Kagansky worked in Edinburgh, Scotland for 13 years until 2017.
He last worked as director of the Center for Genomic and Regenerative Medicine at the Federal University of the Far East in Russia.
He was reportedly working on a COVID-19 vaccine.