MOSCOW, Russia – A suspect in a series of gruesome murders, including the beheading of two escorts, made an appearance in court. Alexei Varakin, 37, of Tashkent, Uzbekistan, is suspected of killing two sex workers in Moscow after allegedly being unable to have sexual intercourse with them, according to Russian news outlet Shot.
The remains of 40-year-old Olga Vorobyova were discovered near a hotel in Moscow’s Izmailovo district, where the two reportedly met. Vorobyova is believed to have refused to have sex with Varakin, prompting him to cut off her head and flee. The following day, 25-year-old Vlada Skitskaya was found dead in her rented highrise in the city’s business district, allegedly killed by Varakin after she mocked him for being unable to perform sexually.
Skitskaya managed to contact a friend during the attack to report that a client was trying to kill her, but when police arrived at her home, she was found stabbed to death with signs of an attempted beheading. Varakin had previously been incarcerated for the murder of two other sex workers in St. Petersburg in 2010.
In court, Varakin reportedly confessed to the two latest killings, claiming that he was intoxicated when he committed the murders. Forensic testing is underway to link Varakin to the deadly slayings of Vorobyova and Skitskaya, as the Moscow Prosecutor’s Office confirmed it was investigating the recent murders of two women, without providing further details.