Troopers have contacted the Russian Consulate because some of the suspects may be foreign nationals in the U.S. on student visas. Troopers said Sergeev and Bystrov are from Russia and attending the University of Alaska Anchorage, but their residency or visa status is unclear.

Police interviewed Kalugin at the hospital and learned he had been assaulted late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning. Kalugin suffered tremendous injuries, said Sgt. Tom Dunn of the Alaska State Troopers in Anchor Point.

"His injuries were the worst I've ever seen in my career ... on a human without going the extra step to death," he said.

According to criminal complaints filed against the three men, Kalugin had skull fractures, a broken nose, numerous teeth knocked out, a broken cheek bone and swollen and blackened eyes and lips. He also had tearing in his throat suggesting something had been shoved into his mouth.

Homer police, troopers, Special Emergency Reaction Team troopers and Alaska Bureau of Investigation officers responded to the assault.

Their investigation led them to a residence on Belnap Drive in the Diamond Ridge area where ABI investigators and SERT troopers identified and arrested the three men. Two other people were contacted but not arrested. A white Chevrolet Astro van troopers said was involved in the assault was found at the home.

According to people familiar with the Russian Old Believer community, Sergeev and Bystrov are not members of that culture.

In their search for suspects, investigators interviewed Kalugin, but because of the severity of his injuries he had struggled to communicate.

Kalugin was able to mumble the first name of one of the suspects. Using the name Kalugin provided and other scraps of information, investigators linked the crime to a vehicle arson that had occurred about 3:15 a.m. Nov. 21, and to the three suspects arrested. Homer Volunteer Fire Department firefighters went to Belnap Drive on Tuesday to extinguish a vehicle fire. The vehicle, a Lexus, was ruined and is believed to have motivated the assault, Dunn said. Troopers had gone to the Belnap Drive house to investigate the arson on Tuesday.

According to the criminal complaints, in a later interview with troopers and police, Kalugin said he was at the Homer ferry terminal waiting to board the 10:30 p.m. Tuesday departure of the M/V Tustumena to Kodiak. Kalugin told troopers he saw a white van he knew Basargin drove pull up to the terminal area. He tried to run but stopped when Basargin fired a gun. Kalugin alleged Basargin was with three men he didn't recognize. He said they beat him severely in the head. He alleged they put him in the van and drove him to a garage, where he was beaten again.

Kalugin said Basargin tried to drive a nail into his finger and threatened to cut off his hands with a saw. He alleged they made him sign a confession admitting he burned the Lexus.

"We believe the vehicle fire was part of why one of the suspects did what they did," Dunn said. "But we are not at this time convinced that the person that they chose to go after was the one that did it. There's no evidence to support it ... (and) the victim of this current crime is not a suspect in arson."

Troopers found blood smeared inside a white van parked at the Belnap Drive house. Inside the residence they found a bloody note, and on Sergeev they found a bloody confession letter alleged to be signed by Kalugin.

Dunn said Basargin claimed the Lexus was his, but that it may have belonged to the suspect's mother. Dunn said he did not know what year the Lexus was, but that it appeared to be a newer model. Dunn said investigators do not know were Basargin's mother is, but that he said she is somewhere in Oregon.

Basargin has been living in the home on Belnap Drive where the three suspects were found and arrested.

According to a criminal complaint, investigators interviewed Basargin and he is alleged to have said he and friends caught Kalugin at the ferry terminal and wanted to get him to tell the truth about what he did to the Lexus. Basargin told investigators he was upset and punched and kicked Kalugin in the face and head and hit him in the back of his head with a piece of driftwood. He said that he probably went too far in the beating. Basargin told investigators he made Kalugin write a confession letter.

Basargin and the others denied having a gun.

At the ferry terminal, police and troopers found blood in the snow, a bloody piece of driftwood and a black BB semi-automatic style gun with blood on it. Troopers removed at least two Kalashnikov assault-type rifles with taped-together banana-clip magazines from the Belnap Drive house.

Investigators are working as quickly as possible on the case, Dunn said. The Alaska Bureau of Investigation in Soldotna is leading the investigation.

"Not doing everything we can as quickly as we can in my mind is a failure to the victim," Dunn said.

Basargin, Bystrov and Sergeev are at Wildwood Pretrial Facility in Kenai.

Patrice Kohl can be reached at patricekohl@peninsulaclarion.com.