MOSCOW, December 27 – RAPSI. A classified witness named “Alan” who was supposed to take stand in the Colonel Yuri Budanov's murder case, has failed to attend the hearing, the court spokesperson told the Russian Legal Information Agency on Thursday.

The reason why he did not appear at the trial is unknown. The court plans to call him in for questioning once again on January 10.

Igor Godunov, another witness was questioned on Thursday. He did not agree with the investigators' assertion that Temerkhanov killed the former colonel due to his hatred for the Russian military.

Budanov was shot dead in June 2011 as he walked out of a notary office in central Moscow.

Prosecutors believe Temerkhanov decided to commit murder after his father was killed in Chechnya in 2000 after a conflict with Russian soldiers. He allegedly decided on Budanov as his future victim, as he was widely known for kidnapping and murdering Chechen Elza Kungayeva in 2000.

Temerkhanov's attorney has also stated that two of the six witnesses who allegedly saw the murder have been found and have agreed to testify in court.

The defense also plans to question Budanov’s widow, who was at the scene when her husband was killed.

In July 2003, Budanov was convicted of war crimes in Chechnya. A military court found him guilty of abuse of power in connection with Kungayeva's kidnapping and murder. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and deprived of his rank, state awards and the opportunity to hold official positions for three years after his release. In January 2009, he was released on parole.