Vladimir Ivanovich Romanov was born on December 5, 1950, in Orekhovka, a small town in the Kaliningrad Oblast of the Soviet Union. Details about his early life are mostly unknown. He grew up in Bagrationovsk, where he spent much of his childhood and adolescence. As a young man, Romanov lived in a time when society was changing rapidly. The Soviet Union faced many challenges during this period, which may have influenced his development.

In 1991, at the age of 40, Romanov began his criminal activities. He was involved in the double murder of two teenage girls. Their bodies were buried, and since they were never found, the case remained unsolved for many years. In the same year, he committed another serious crime. He raped a 12-year-old girl and attempted to strangle her. Fortunately, she survived and was able to provide the police with a description of Romanov. He was arrested shortly after this incident and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

While in prison, Romanov faced difficulties, including being raped by another inmate. After serving his time, he was released in 2001. He then started working as a driver for hire, which gave him access to many young women and girls. He learned how to avoid getting caught and planned his actions carefully.

Romanov’s life took a darker turn as he continued to commit crimes against young girls and women. His past experiences in life and his time in prison shaped who he became. In 2006, he made headlines when he attempted to attack a 24-year-old woman, but she escaped and reported him to the police. This led to his arrest on September 27, 2006.

Vladimir Ivanovich Romanov committed numerous murders over a span of several years, targeting young girls and women. He often picked up his victims while he was driving. For example, he described an incident where he offered a lift to a girl around fourteen years old on the Kaliningrad-Mamonovo road. After she got in the car, he drove her to a secluded area where he killed her with a knife before hiding her body in the bushes.

In another instance, Romanov saw another young girl in Dolgorukovo. He also offered her a ride. After she accepted, he took her to a deserted spot in Chapaevo, where he killed her by stabbing her in the neck and hid her body in a ditch.

Romanov shared details about another murder while driving towards Nivenskoye. He encountered a girl of similar age, picked her up, and then drove to an abandoned garden near a cemetery. There, he strangled her and broke her neck, leaving her body hidden in the grass.

In 2006, he was arrested after a woman managed to escape an attempted rape and reported the incident. While in custody, Romanov confessed to killing multiple girls between 2001 and 2005. He also admitted to two murders from 1991, which had gone unsolved for years.

On October 11, 2006, Romanov confessed to a thirteenth murder, but the full details were never disclosed. He died by suicide in his cell on October 12, 2006, leaving a note for his family. Investigators believed he might have been involved in as many as 20 murders in total.