Vasili Komaroff
| Vasily Komarov | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
1871 Vitebsk Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Died | 1923 |
| Other names |
The Wolf of Moscow The Shabolovka Street Killer |
| Criminal penalty | Death penalty |
| Killings | |
| Victims | 33 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
Vasili Komaroff (1871–1923), otherwise known as "The Wolf of Moscow" or "The Shabolovka Street Killer" was a Russian serial killer. He was executed on June 18, 1923.
Biography
Vasili Komaroff was a horse trader, born in 1871. Around the year 1921, a series of murders started occurring around Moscow, leading the police to a two-year investigation. Bodies of 21 men appeared in this two year period, disposed in sacks of garbage every Thursday or Saturday (Wetsch, 2005). Komaroff was known as a happily married man, but those close to the family knew that he was an extremely abusive man who had once tried to kill his eight-year-old son (Newton). Spectators in the market where he went to sell his horses began to notice that he came every Wednesday and Friday, many times without bringing a horse, and almost always left with a customer. One day, police showed up at Komaroff's home to search for illegal alcohol and discovered his most recent (and last) victim under a stack of hay (Wetsch, 2005). While undergoing police interrogation he admitted to having killed 33 men, as far as he could remember, who were looking to buy one of his horses. Robbery was noted as motive for the murders, although the collective amount he earned from all of his killings was $26.40 (Newton). After confessing to his crimes, Komaroff led the police to the places where he had disposed of the bodies. However, only 6 of the remaining 12 were found. When he was interviewed about his crimes, he described murder as "an awfully easy job." While he was in prison, he tried to commit suicide three times with no success (Newton). His wife was also found guilty of murder, since the police concluded that it would be impossible for her not to know what her husband was doing inside their stable next to their home. They both received the death penalty and were executed on June 18, 1923 (Newton).
References
Newton, Michael. "Vasili Komaroff". Article. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
Wetsch, Elisabeth. "Vasili Komaroff". Article. Retrieved 28 November 2012.