Vasily Khiletsky

Vasily Vasilyevich Khiletsky (, ; born 30 April 1967) is a Ukrainian–Russian serial killer who committed at least three murders in the Moscow Oblast from 2006 to 2009, and is a suspect in two murders in his native Crimea.

His case is noted for the fact that he blamed two Belarusian citizens for one of his crimes – as a result, they were tortured into confessing by Russian officers and wrongfully convicted. After his arrest, Khiletsky was identified as the true killer, convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment, while the two men were released.

Early life Little is known about Khiletsky's childhood and youth. He was born in 1967 in the village of Zarechnoye, in Crimea's Dzhankoi Raion, into a family of ethnic Ukrainians. He grew up in a stable home with his sister, but after graduating from high school, Khiletsky struggled with work and started abusing alcohol. This led to him being repeatedly incarcerated by the authorities, who also suspected that he was involved in two murders, but were never able to charge him.

Around the turn of the 1990s, Khiletsky immigrated to Russia and settled in Moscow, where he made a living through low-skilled labor and theft, spending most of his free time among fellow alcoholics and small-time criminals. In the early 2000s, he got a job at the 342 MZ Factory, a concrete manufacturing plant based in the Domodedovsky District, where he was characterized positively by his employer. After drinking for some time in the factory's break room, the men ran out of booze, after which Khiletsky and Khitrik decided to go to the store to buy some more. After purchasing several bottles of vodka, they headed back to the break room, but on the way, Khiletsky spotted a couple having a picnic at the edge of the forest. Deciding that he wanted to get to know them, Khiletsky remained with them while Khitrik returned to the break room. Undeterred, he started sexually harassing her, drawing the ire of Sharovarov, who decided to stand up for his wife. Unable to overpower the man, Khiletsky rushed to the factory's fire axe case to retrieve the axe inside.

In 2013, a criminal case was opened against the two former police officers for abuse of power – however, one of them managed to avoid charges, while the fate of the second one, Yevgeny Burykin, is unknown.

Podolsk double murder After Khitrik and Belevich's trial, Khiletsky resumed living his life as if nothing had happened. In the late 2000s, he got a job at a transportation company in Podolsk, but continued his criminal activities by burgling into private homes and apartments. In these acts, he was aided by two accomplices – Moldovan nationals Eugeniu Kushnir and Igor Odadgiu, who robbed and sold stolen goods with him.

During interrogations, Khiletsky was informed that he was being charged not only with the double murder in Podolsk, but also the 2006 rape-murder of Galina Goshovskaya. He vehemently denied guilt, even when he was presented with irrefutable evidence, and instead resorted to writing complaints that the evidence was fabricated and that he was being framed by the security services.

Following the conclusion of the Podolsk trial, Khiletsky was charged with the rape and murder of Goshovskaya. On 12 November 2013, he was found guilty of rape, murder, and the attempted murder of Viktor Sharovarov, for which he was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was then transferred to serve his sentence at the Black Dolphin Prison, where he remains to this day.