ALICANTE – In a joint operation between the Guardia Civil and Policia Nacional, they have clarified the crimes of a serial killer who committed 2 homicides, and one attempted murder in Spain, plus another homicide in his native country of Russia.
The crimes in Spain were committed in the province of Alicante between July and November 2020. The man has been tried and arrested for a murder committed in Russia and is currently being held in a psychiatric hospital there.
Torrevieja
The investigation in Spain began in July 2020 when a woman was attacked at the entrance to a building in the Torrevieja area of Alicante. At the time, she was cleaning the property, therefore the door was open. The attacker took advantage of this and stabbed her several times. A neighbour came to the rescue, prompting the man to flee the scene. This intervention undoubtedly saved the woman´s life. However, the man´s escape was captured by surveillance cameras of a nearby business. These showed the suspect running away while holding a large knife.
🚩Esclarecidos los homicidios de la Vega Baja alicantina cometidos en 2020 por un asesino en serie
➡Cometió 3 crímenes en España y un cuarto asesinato en Rusia
➡Gracias a la difusión de un vídeo pudo ser identificado
Op. conjunta con @guardiacivil#Alicante pic.twitter.com/HVUSaublbL— Policía Nacional (@policia) November 4, 2022
Los Montesinos
A few weeks later, in the town of Los Montesinos, a farm worker was discovered dead in a field was discovered. He had been killed by a knife.
These first two attacks were investigated by the Guardia Civil. DNA samples were obtained which would later be instrumental in the identification of the perpetrator.
Elche
Then, in November 2020, a woman in Elche was murdered while walking her dog in Elche. However, this time, the cause of death being strangulation. Once again, DNA samples were obtained at the crime scene. Policia Nacional oversaw this case.
joint investigation
However, from the DNA evidence obtained and collated, the three different crimes were found to be related. Therefore, at this point the joint investigation between the Policia Nacional and the Guardia Civil began. It was clear they were investigating a potential serial killer. Meetings between the two police forces confirmed the perpetrator of the deaths was the same person. They were also checking to see if he was responsible for the attempted murder in Torrevieja.
Citizen collaboration
In June of this year, the joint investigation team sought help from the public. They used the only images available that were from the CCTV cameras near the attempted murder in Torrevieja. As a result, thanks to citizen collaboration, the suspect was identified. Consequently, it was then confirmed that the suspect was born in Moscow but had lived in Spain for at least 15 years.
Following this, the investigators obtained statements from his relatives. According to police reports, they advised that, upon his return to Spain after spending roughly 2 years in Russia doing military service, his behaviour began to become increasingly strange and violent. Furthermore, his consumption of drugs and alcohol had increased.
Serial killer arrested in Russia
Once the identity of the man of the attempted murder was established, in July of this year, information was received through Interpol confirming his presence in Moscow. And that he had been arrested for a crime of murder there. Subsequently, the trial took place, which concluded with him being declared mentally ill. As a result, he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital.
Finally, through Interpol, the Russian authorities confirmed that the genetic profile of the man was the same as that of the perpetrator of the two homicides investigated in Spain. This was added to his identification as the author of the attempted murder after being recognised by multiple witnesses and by the victim herself.
