Horrifying former Russian police officer killed 82 women

Serving a life sentence for killing 22 women, former Russian police officer Mikhail Popkov - nicknamed "the werewolf", was recently accused of murdering 60 other women.

Former Russian police officer Mikhail Popkov. Photo: Independent/YouTube

His trial is expected to take place later this year. If convicted, he would be Russia’s most prolific serial killer, according to RT (Russia) on March 28.

Mikhail Popkov, 53, nicknamed "the werewolf", is serving a life sentence for the murder of 22 women, according to Russian newspapers. However, investigators discovered that 60 other women were also his victims, and Popkov himself admitted to killing them.

The murders occurred between 1992 and 2010.

Despite this, Popkov said he was a good husband and father, and a good police officer. "I have a family. My wife and daughter consider me a good husband and father, and I am," Popkov told investigators.

"I work in the police force and receive positive reviews at work. I never thought I had a mental problem," he added.

So why did Popkov kill?

"I led a double life," Popkov was quoted as saying by the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily. "On the one hand, I was an ordinary person... On the other hand, I killed people, and I carefully hid it from everyone, knowing that it was a criminal offense."

According to Popkov's confession, he remembered his murders very clearly, from how he approached the victims, where he took them, how he raped and killed them...

His victims were women aged 17-38, most of whom he raped before killing them. Popkov said he killed them because he wanted to "clean up" the streets, that the people he killed were "bad", walking alone at night, "did not hesitate to talk to me, get into my car, were ready to be taken by me in search of adventure, entertainment, were ready to drink and have sex with me"...

"Not all women become victims, but for those who have some negative behavior, I want to educate and punish them," the killer declared.

Popkov also confessed that he stole weapons confiscated by the police to kill people, then threw them near the crime scene after wiping off all fingerprints. And the weapons he used were always random, whatever was available without preparation, sometimes knives, sticks, sometimes axes...

Popkov also said he did not expect advances in DNA testing to expose him. "I did not foresee DNA testing... otherwise I would not be sitting in front of you," he told investigators.

Investigators said they interviewed 900 witnesses, conducted 200 autopsies and exhumed 20 bodies, some of which had been hidden for two decades, in order to expose Popkov. The bodies were found in “forests, lakes and swamps with the help of machines and divers,” with Popkov himself directing them.

According to Tuoi Tre