Bio

Oleg Vasilyevich Murayenko was born in 1973 in Petropavl, then part of the Kazakh SSR. He was first prosecuted at age 17, and by age 25 he had three convictions for theft and robbery. While serving a sentence at a prison colony in Novoukrainka, Murayenko became involved in prison violence. On the night of November 19–20, 1998, he and other inmates reportedly attacked prisoners who refused to join a prison gang. One inmate died from the beating, and several others were seriously injured. The case was investigated poorly and remained unresolved long enough for Murayenko to be released from prison on May 20, 1999.

Murder Story

After his release, Murayenko returned to Petropavl. Between March and November 2000, he murdered six women in the city. Reports state that several victims were attacked at night after he encountered them in public places or followed them home. In multiple cases, the women were strangled, and in at least one case, a victim was killed with a sharp weapon or axe-like object.

The first known female victim was killed on March 13, 2000. Investigators later found a partial fingerprint on the woman’s handbag. That fingerprint became important months later when police connected it to Murayenko. Later victims included women attacked in different parts of Petropavl, including women associated with nightlife and local shops.

In November 2000, Murayenko killed two female shop workers in separate store attacks. After one of the killings, he reportedly stayed inside the store for a period of time, drinking alcohol and eating candy before leaving. These final murders increased pressure on investigators, who were already facing public fear that a serial killer was operating in the city.

Murayenko was eventually identified after police traced a stolen sheepskin coat linked to one of the victims. A woman told investigators that the coat had come from Murayenko. Police then compared his fingerprints with the partial print recovered from the first victim’s handbag and found a match. After being confronted with the evidence, he confessed, though he later recanted most of the confession in court.

In June 2001, a Kazakh court sentenced Murayenko to death for murdering six women in Petropavl. BBC reporting from June 26, 2001, stated that he was to be executed by firing squad and noted his prior convictions and prison violence. 

Oleg Murayenko was executed by shooting in 2002, before Kazakhstan introduced its death-penalty moratorium. Later reports describe him as the last known executed prisoner from the North Kazakhstan region.