Tamara Samsonova, a Russian pensioner dubbed the 'Granny Ripper', is being investigated in connection with up to 14 murders. The 78-year-old, who also earned the nickname 'Baba Yaga' after the Slavic witch, was convicted of killing and dismembering a neighbour in 2015.
Samsonova moved into 79-year-old Valentina Ulanova's flat while her own home was being renovated. After an argument, she drugged Ulanova's salad with the sedative phenazepam, then sawed her body into pieces. She boiled Ulanova's head in a pot and disposed of the remains in bin bags around St Petersburg.
Police discovered one bag near a pond and traced it to Samsonova, who calmly led them to a blood-streaked bathroom. A diary was found in which she allegedly boasted about previous killings, describing how she dismembered victims and scattered their body parts.
Samsonova was ruled mentally unfit for trial and sent to a secure psychiatric hospital. She is now being investigated for up to 14 murders, including the 2003 killing of lodger Sergey Potanin and the disappearance of her husband Alexei in 2000.
