Oleg Ten
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"The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing"
12.5 years imprisonment (2022)
Oleg Ten | |
|---|---|
| Born | Oleg Ilarionovich Ten 1 March 1975 |
| Other names | "The Policeman Maniac" "The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" |
| Conviction | Murder ×3 |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment (2007) 12.5 years imprisonment (2022) |
| Details | |
| Victims | 3+ |
Span of crimes | 2004–2005 |
| Country | Russia |
| State | Saint Petersburg |
Date apprehended | 16 January 2006 |
| Imprisoned at | Polar Owl, Kharp, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug |
Oleg Ilarionovich Ten (Russian: Олег Илларионович Тен; born 1 March 1975), known as The Policeman Maniac (Russian: Маньяк-милиционер), is an Uzbekistani-born Russian serial killer and former policeman who abducted, killed and dismembered at least three women in Saint Petersburg from 2004 to 2005. Initially convicted for two murders and sentenced to life imprisonment, he confessed to a third murder in 2019, and since then authorities have been investigating possible links to other unsolved murders.
Oleg Ilarionovich Ten was born in Tashkent, Uzbek SSR in 1975.[1] At some point during his life, he moved to Saint Petersburg, Russia, where he would reside until his arrest. He went to a police academy and after successfully graduating, he found work in the private security sector for the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Ten was also married, raised three children and considered highly-intelligent due to his education.[2]
Unbeknownst to most, however, Ten also developed a gambling addiction and frequently visited local casinos. As he often lost the majority of his monthly salary to this, he resorted to working as a private taxi driver as a secondary job. He eventually decided to start stealing from potential customers, and would resort to killing them if necessary.[2]
Murders
Ten's first confirmed murder occurred on the night of 5 to 6 August 2004.[3] On that day, he was driving around in his red GAZ-3110 when he spotted an 18-year-old university student hitching for a ride from the Pionerskaya Metro Station. He decided to pick her up, but for an unclear reason, the pair had an argument along the way. Upon reaching an isolated area of Sofia Kovalevskaya Street, Ten stopped the car and attacked the victim, eventually managing to pull her out of the car. After doing so, he pushed her to the ground, pulled out a knife and stabbed her 13 times in the head, chest and neck. Following the murder, Ten proceeded to mutilate her body and sever her left breast before leaving the body in a nearby yard.[3]
His next known attack occurred on 21 July 2005.[1] While driving around town after suffering another loss at a casino, he spotted 24-year-old accountant Natalya Kosenkova walking down the street. He noticed that she wore gold jewellery and, thinking he could sell it for money, decided to follow her to her apartment on Danube Avenue.[2] After following the woman to the elevator, he threatened her with a knife and told her to go to the apartment and hand over her valuables. A struggle ensued, during which Kosenkova attempted to fight back by hitting her assailant on the head with a bottle. This only enraged Ten, who got his knife out and swiftly cut her throat. Upon collecting all her jewellery, money and mobile phone, he proceeded to sever her breasts and gouge her eyes out, before eventually leaving the premises.[1] A neighbour later saw him leaving the premises, but after being questioned by police, they could only provide a vague description of the offender, describing him as an unfamiliar man of Asian origin. Ten would later be stopped and questioned by a police patrol, since he matched the facial composite of the suspect, but would be let go due to lack of evidence. Despite this, his details were entered into the criminal database just in case.[2]
On 11 December 2005, Ten picked up 21-year-old student Tatyana Biktuganova from Pionerskaya Metro Station, with the instructions that he drive her to Finland Station, where some friends were waiting for her.[4] A few minutes into the trip, however, he changed directions and drove to an isolated location, where he proceeded to attack his passenger. Using his knife, he stabbed her multiple times before ultimately slashing her throat and killing her. Afterwards, he stole whatever money she had on her as well as her mobile phone, which he decided to use for himself. Ten would later be detained and questioned by colleagues yet again but was released after he showed his police badge and ID.[4]