True Crime Friday: Mikhail Popkov, the Werewolf Serial Killer
Mikhail Viktorovich Popkov, is a former Russian police officer and mass serial killer. He was born March 7, 1964 in the country of Russia. Popkov is a Rapist, Serial Killer and Necrophilia. It is reported that he murdered eighty three women and girls between1992-2010. It is suspected that he actually killed eighty six people, although police have only been able to confirm eighty three of his victims. His moniker as the werewolf is his method of operation in which he torn the victims’ bodies apart with his hands, knives, an axe and his mouth. He also raped their bodies after death. He is the known as the single most prolific serial killer in Russian history.
Popkov, a former police officer in Russia was convicted of 22 murders in 2015. Popkov was sentence to life in prison without parole. Calls for his execution were ignored because Russia per say does not have capital punishment. It took two decades for this man to face justice. After he was convicted he confessed to fifty six additional murders than the twenty two in which he was convicted. There were survivors that identified Popkov as the man that assaulted them but Russian authorities did not want to acknowledge that a police officer was a serial killer so these witnesses were ignored. And I am sure misogyny played a role and lest not forget about the less dead theory.
Less Dead Theory
The Less Dead Theory is regarding poor people and minorities that are considered undesirable by society and the elites. These groups generally are the poor, women and children who are ignored and devalued in life. Therefore, in death they are also devalued essentially ignored by their own communities or members of their neighborhoods and generally not missed when they are gone. They lack prestige or power and the police generally devalue their lives as well.The Early Childhood of Mikhail Popkov
Not much is known about his childhood with the exception that his mother neglected and abused him as a child. He later went on to kill women and girls that looked like his mother. He was married to Elena Popkov who was also a police officer. They had a daughter named Ekaterina. Mikhail Popkov worked as a police officer in the Irkutsk region of Russia.There were several victims that identified Popkov as their attacker. The police chose to ignore these witnesses because his wife offered him an alibi. He eventually claimed to stop killing women and girls because he contracted a sexually transmitted disease that left him impotent. So he no longer had the desire to rape and kill. He claimed that God, told him to rid the world of sex workers but he also killed non sex workers. He had a strong misogynic streak toward the opposite sex. He had the God complex of deciding what woman was good or bad. So going to a party according to this monster was reason enough to be assaulted, killed and raped after death.
The Victims of Mikhail Popkov
- 86 Victims, Names Not Published. He killed his daughter’s school teacher and then gave money towards her funeral.
The Survivors of Mikhail Popkov
- Several Victims, Names Not Published