Maxim Petrov
Encyclopedia
Maxim Vladimirovich Petrov is a Russia
n doctor and serial killer
. He is currently serving a life sentence for killing 12 patients. The Russian media nicknamed him "Doctor Killer" and "Doctor Death".
in St Petersburg, committed 47 robberies. He would visit a patient at their home, unannounced, and usually in the morning when relatives would be at work. He would then measure their blood pressure
and suggest they needed an injection. He anaesthetised them and while they were then unconscious, stole their possessions, even taking rings and earrings from the victims' bodies. The first few victims did not die, waking up later after he had left. The first murder took place on 2 February 1999, during his thirtieth robbery. He was interrupted when the daughter of an anaesthetised patient returned home while he was stealing possessions. He stabbed her with a screwdriver
and then strangled the patient with a stocking
. After this, his modus operandi
changed; he began to inject his victims with a lethal mix of a variety of different drugs, so that the police would think that the killer had little medical knowledge. He then set fire to their homes to destroy any evidence. Various possessions were later found in his flat, though he had already sold others at the market.
The police did not release a photofit
of the suspect, thinking he would soon be caught. However, it took until 2000 for them to realise how the victims were being selected. All were included in the same list of lung
patients who had undergone a fluorography, which he found in a local health centre. Using this list, they identified 72 possible future victims in an operation called "Medbrat" ("Male Nurse"), involving 700 police officers. They arrested Petrov when he visited one of the patients on 17 January 2000.
On his arrest, Petrov admitted to the murders, but recanted his confession a few months later, blaming it on the intense psychological pressure he had endured while in custody.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n doctor and serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
. He is currently serving a life sentence for killing 12 patients. The Russian media nicknamed him "Doctor Killer" and "Doctor Death".
Crimes
Between 1997 and 2000 Petrov, who lived on Vasilievsky IslandVasilievsky Island
Vasilyevsky Island is an island in Saint Petersburg, Russia, bordered by the rivers Bolshaya Neva and Malaya Neva in the south and northeast, and by the Gulf of Finland in the west. Vasilyevsky Island is separated from Dekabristov Island by the Smolenka River...
in St Petersburg, committed 47 robberies. He would visit a patient at their home, unannounced, and usually in the morning when relatives would be at work. He would then measure their blood pressure
Blood pressure
Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by circulating blood upon the walls of blood vessels, and is one of the principal vital signs. When used without further specification, "blood pressure" usually refers to the arterial pressure of the systemic circulation. During each heartbeat, BP varies...
and suggest they needed an injection. He anaesthetised them and while they were then unconscious, stole their possessions, even taking rings and earrings from the victims' bodies. The first few victims did not die, waking up later after he had left. The first murder took place on 2 February 1999, during his thirtieth robbery. He was interrupted when the daughter of an anaesthetised patient returned home while he was stealing possessions. He stabbed her with a screwdriver
Screwdriver
A screwdriver is a tool for driving screws and often rotating other machine elements with the mating drive system. The screwdriver is made up of a head or tip, which engages with a screw, a mechanism to apply torque by rotating the tip, and some way to position and support the screwdriver...
and then strangled the patient with a stocking
Stocking
A stocking, , is a close-fitting, variously elastic garment covering the foot and lower part of the leg. Stockings vary in color, design and transparency...
. After this, his modus operandi
Modus operandi
Modus operandi is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as "mode of operation". The term is used to describe someone's habits or manner of working, their method of operating or functioning...
changed; he began to inject his victims with a lethal mix of a variety of different drugs, so that the police would think that the killer had little medical knowledge. He then set fire to their homes to destroy any evidence. Various possessions were later found in his flat, though he had already sold others at the market.
The police did not release a photofit
Facial composite
A facial composite is a graphical representation of an eyewitness's memory of a face, as recorded by a composite artist. Facial composites are used mainly by police in their investigation of crimes.-PhotoFIT generation:...
of the suspect, thinking he would soon be caught. However, it took until 2000 for them to realise how the victims were being selected. All were included in the same list of lung
Lung
The lung is the essential respiration organ in many air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart...
patients who had undergone a fluorography, which he found in a local health centre. Using this list, they identified 72 possible future victims in an operation called "Medbrat" ("Male Nurse"), involving 700 police officers. They arrested Petrov when he visited one of the patients on 17 January 2000.
On his arrest, Petrov admitted to the murders, but recanted his confession a few months later, blaming it on the intense psychological pressure he had endured while in custody.
Trial
Petrov was suspected of 19 murders but tried for just 17 in 2002. He was found guilty of 12. Six patients were also seriously injured. He was sentenced by judge Valentina Kudriashova to life in prison.Personal life
At the time of his arrest, Petrov was married with three children: one from a first marriage and two from his second.See also
- Dr John Bodkin AdamsJohn Bodkin AdamsJohn Bodkin Adams was an Irish-born British general practitioner, convicted fraudster and suspected serial killer. Between the years 1946 and 1956, more than 160 of his patients died in suspicious circumstances. Of these, 132 left him money or items in their will. He was tried and acquitted for...
- British doctor suspected of killing patients - Harold ShipmanHarold ShipmanHarold Fredrick Shipman was an English doctor and one of the most prolific serial killers in recorded history with 218 murders being positively ascribed to him....
- British doctor and serial killer