Accused of raping and murdering at least six children Roman is the latest serial killer to surface in Rostov-on-Don, the former stomping grounds of the cannibal killer Andrei Chikatilo. Burtsev, 25, was arrested in July 1996, and confessed to the killings, giving investigators detailed descriptions of the crime scenes.
Burtsev told police he often felt remorse and on one occasion even donated 5,000 rubles (90 U.S. cents) for the funerals of one of his victims, a 12-year-old girl. A divorcee with a 10-month-old son, Roman allegedly committed the murders out of a fear of being punished for his sex crimes.
The news of Roman's upcoming trial came just days after another local resident, Vladimir Mukhankin, pleaded guilty to murdering eight women and was sentenced to death by the city court. Local officials claim the frequency of serial killing in their rustic community only testifies to the efficiency of their police. "It's not that other regions don't have such monsters," said Zakhar Lukinov, a deputy regional chief prosecutor. "Simply no one hears about them."