Juri Sulimov

Juri Sulimov (born March 13, 1967) is a Soviet serial killer who killed three people, two of them prisoners, between 1983 and 1994. Sentenced to death for his crimes, his sentence would later be automatically commuted to life imprisonment when the death penalty was abolished in the country.

Early life Juri Sulimov was born on March 13, 1967, in the Ukrainian SSR, but the family moved to Kohtla-Järve when he was 7 years old.

Described as an irritable, violent criminal child by his mother, Sulimov's first recorded offence occurred on May 19, 1983, when the 16-year-old was arrested for theft. Although found guilty, his sentencing was delayed for two years and he was allowed to roam free. Four months later, on August 13, Sulimov was out drinking with a friend when the pair noticed a disabled elderly berry picket waiting at a bus stop. Seemingly disgusted by his physical deformities, the pair attacked the old man, with Sulimov kicking and beating him, while his accomplice used a hammer to strike the man on the head. Sulimov appealed his sentence to the Supreme Court of Estonia, but his appeal was shot down in June of that year. His case was discussed in the press in relation to the application of the death penalty in the country.

When the death penalty punishment was abolished in the country in 1998, Sulimov's sentence was automatically converted to a life sentence. As of 2021, he is still alive and remains one of the oldest serving prisoners in Estonia.