The chief suspect in Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov's killing has denied his guilt, saying he confessed under pressure and was not at the scene of the crime.
Zaur Dadayev told the Moscow City Court on April 1 that he had an alibi proving he is not guilty.
Meanwhile, Investigative Committee representatives said at the hearing that Dadayev's involvement in the crime had been proven by his initial confession, testimony from witnesses, and forensic tests.
Officials from the Investigative Committee said earlier at the hearing that Dadayev had implicated other suspects currently in detention of being involved in Nemtsov's killing.
The Moscow City Court ruled that pretrial detention of Dadayev and that of another suspect, Anzor Gubashev, were legal, but overturned rulings to keep three of the other suspects in Nemtsov’s killing in pretrial detention.
The court said in its April 1 ruling that Khamzat Bakhayev, Tamerlan Eskerkhanov, and Shadid Gubashev will remain jailed until a new hearing is held.
In all, five suspects have been arrested in the February 27 slaying of Nemtsov, a former deputy prime minister who was one of President Vladimir Putin's harshest critics and a vocal opponent of the Kremlin's interference in Ukraine.