Confession makes ex-cop Russia’s worst serial killer
RUSSIA: A former police officer from Siberia who was jailed for murdering 22 women has confessed in court to another 47 victims, making him Russia’s most prolific killer.
Mikhail Popkov, nicknamed the Werewolf, was jailed for life two years ago for the murders in the city of Angarsk, near Lake Baikal, between 1994 and 2000. He attacked women he considered immoral because they were out late at night.
Popkov offered his victims lifts before taking them to remote locations, where he killed them with axes, knives or screwdrivers. Three of the murders were committed while he was on duty, using a police car.
Russian media reported yesterday that Popkov, 49, had confessed in prison to another 60 killings. So far prosecutors have charged him with 47 of those.
Asked about the new allegations in court, Popkov told the judge: ‘‘I admit my guilt in full.’’
Russia is no stranger to serial killers. Its most famous, Andrei Chikatilo, was executed in 1994 after he was convicted of sexually assaulting, murdering and mutilating at least 52 women and children between 1978 and 1990.
Popkov called himself the Cleaner because he believed he was ridding the world of impure women. He waited outside cafes and bars to pick up his victims, some of whom were inebriated.
‘‘They abandoned their husbands and children at home and went out to party as if it was the last day on earth,’’ he told a Russian newspaper a few months after his conviction.
Popkov resigned from the police force in 1998, before his killing spree ended. As an officer, he twice attended the murder scenes of his own victims, once only a day after he had committed the murder.
He said that on those occasions, he did not try to destroy evidence. ’’What could I do if was surrounded by detectives? The main thing was not to leave clues in the first place.’’
He was caught after a woman who had escaped from him told investigators that she had been attacked by a policeman. DNA tests conducted on serving and former officers matched Popkov to semen found on the victims.
‘‘I didn’t foresee the DNA analysis,’’ he said. ‘‘I was born in another era.’’ - The Times