Three Russians Convicted of Brutally Murdering Gay Man

Three Russian men were sentenced to prison on Monday for brutally murdering a man they believed to be gay last year.

The men lured the 29-year-old victim into the forest in the Kamchatka region of eastern Russia, where they proceeded to beat and stab him. The trio, now ages 18, 22, and 26, put the victim's body in a car, doused it with gasoline and set the car on fire, RIA Novosti reports.

According to the report from the Kremlin-backed news agency, hate crimes against gay men are common in Russia, but it is rare that anyone is convicted of a crime with homophobia as the stated bias. The three convicted will each serve between nine and 12 years in prison for the crime that took place in May 2013.