'Bride of Chucky' serial killer who derived sexual pleasure from killing jailed
Elena Lobacheva and gang of accomplices convicted of killing 14 homeless people in Moscow
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A serial killer who got ‘sexual pleasure’ from murdering homeless people has been sentenced to 13 years in jail.
Along with four male accomplices, Elena Lobacheva killed 14 homeless people on the streets of Moscow.
The gang murdered their victims away from CCTV in derelict areas to avoid detection, and often used incredibly brutal tactics.
Vladislav Karatayev, 21, was jailed for 16 years by the Moscow court. Artur Nartsissov, 25, and Maxim Pavlov, 19, both received nine-and-a-half-year sentences.
Gang leader Pavel Voitov received a life sentence.
A body found near Belarussky railway station had 44 knife wounds while a victim killed in the Moscow Hippodrome was stabbed 51 times and suffered 18 hammer blows
Lobacheva told police after her arrest that "randomly stabbing the body of a dying human brought her pleasure compared to sexual pleasure".
Police also discovered graphic photos of her mutilated victims in her apartment, as well as graphic accounts of the killings.
She has been nicknamed the "Bride of Chucky" after the 1998 horror film about a child possessed by a demonic doll.
She told police she was inspired by the murder scenes in the film, and has a tattoo of the doll which features in Bride of Chucky on her arm.
The gang were also motivated by a desire to "clean" Moscow’s streets of homeless people, the court heard.
Mr Voitov said: "I despise drunk people, this is why I kill. I consider them to be biological waste."