Investigators from the National Police, in a joint operation with the Guardia Civil, have clarified three homicides, one attempted, committed in Spain by a Russian man between July and November 2020 in the province of Alicante. A serial killer who, in addition to the murders perpetrated in Spain, would later kill again in Russia, where he has been arrested and tried for such a crime. He is currently confined in a psychiatric hospital in his home country.
Chronological list of crimes
The investigation began when in July 2020 a woman was attacked in the portal of a building in Torrevieja (Alicante). The victim was cleaning the property, leaving the portal door open, which a man took advantage of to enter and stab her several times, moments later a neighbour appeared and so the aggressor fled, thus saving the life of the victim. The escape was captured by surveillance cameras from nearby businesses that allowed the author to be observed running while he was holding a large knife.
Weeks later, in the town of Los Montesinos (Alicante), the body of a man was found who was killed by a knife while working in the field. As a result of the Ocular Inspection, DNA samples were obtained that would be essential for the final identification of the criminal. These first two crimes were initially investigated by the Guardia Civil.
In November 2020, a woman who was walking her dog in Elche was murdered, the cause of death being strangulation. Again, DNA samples were obtained at the crime scene, this time by National Police agents in charge of the case.
Joint investigation
Thanks to the DNA evidence obtained and collated, the different crimes could be related, at which point the joint investigation between the National Police and the Guardia Civil began. After the corresponding coordination meetings between the investigation groups of both bodies, the data obtained confirmed that the author of the deaths investigated was the same person, as biological remains were found at both crime scenes. And he is also being investigated as the author of the attempted murder in Torrevieja.
Finally, the joint investigation team agreed in June 2022 to request citizen collaboration through the nationwide dissemination of the only available images of the author, corresponding to the suspect’s flight after the attempted murder in Torrevieja. Thanks to citizen collaboration, information was received that allowed the author to be fully identified under the acronym NT, born in Moscow but who would have resided in Spain for at least fifteen years.
The investigations carried out obtained statements from his relatives stating that, upon his return to Spain after spending approximately two years in Russia doing military service, his behaviour began to become increasingly strange and violent, while Increased consumption of alcohol and drugs.
Serial killer arrested in Russia
Once the identity of the author of the attempted murder was established, in July of this year, information was received through Interpol confirming the presence of NT in Moscow and his arrest for a crime of murder, entering prison. Subsequently, the trial took place, which concluded with him being declared mentally ill, and from that moment on he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital.
Finally, the Russian authorities, through Interpol, confirmed that the genetic profile of NT was the same as that of the author of the two homicides investigated in Spain. This was added to the identification of him as the author of the attempted murder after being recognised by multiple witnesses and by the victim herself.
