Sergey Kuznetsov (serial killer)

Sergey Vladimirovich Kuznetsov , known as The Kryazh Maniac , is a Russian serial killer who poisoned six people in Samara from 2007 and 2008, and is additionally suspected of two earlier murders.

Judged incompetent to stand trial, he was instead interned at a psychiatric institution, where he remains to this day.

Early life Born in Kuybyshev in 1974, Kuznetsov grew up in a normal family with his older brother, but from an early age showed signs of mental illness and was described as withdrawn.

Kuznetsov lived in the Kirzavod area of the Kuybyshevsky City District, and also owned a garage and dwelling in the village of Kupino.

Neighbors and casual acquaintances were mostly wary and even afraid of Kuznetsov, with most avoiding him due to his odd behavior and "creepy" look. He was noted for always walking around with a checkered bag, a red scarf and a fur hat. He would then steal small sums of money, clothes, cell phones and documents, which he would store in his apartment in a pile of garbage.

The murders occurred on November 30, 2007 (Mr. Samylin); December 14 (Alexander Oreshkin); December 19 (Mr. Chernyshov); December 20 (Mr. Alekseev); December 29 (Mr. Pudovkin) and January 2008 (Mr. Deinekin). Most of the victims' first names were not revealed, except for Oreshkin, the second chronological victim. The investigators rather quickly linked all the criminal cases into one, and a special investigative unit was formed to solve them. Initially, Kuznetsov was ordered to undergo a forensic psychiatric evaluation at a hospital in Kazan, where he was ruled to be sane. However, this verdict was accepted by neither the prosecution nor defense, and he was thus transferred to the Serbsky Center. Soon afterwards, he was diagnosed with a volatile form of schizophrenia that rendered him incapable of understanding the gravity of his crimes. Not long after this, he was temporarily incapacitated and was interned at a closed psychiatric institution. On November 17, 2011, at the end of the trial, Kuznetsov was found guilty of six murders, three robberies, aggravated injury and theft, but was nonetheless acquitted by reason of insanity and placed in a specialized psychiatric hospital with intensive supervision.