The suspect confessed to murder because of love for the investigator

At the beginning of February 2008, relatives of a resident of the village of Evpraksino, Privolzhsky district, Astrakhan region, 31-year-old Yuri Kamagin, contacted the police. Citizens reported that a few days ago the man went to visit his former classmate, fellow villager Vyacheslav Grigoriev, but never returned home. The police forwarded the signal to the Privolzhsky Interdistrict Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee: they decided to entrust the case of the mysterious disappearance of Kamagin to the best investigator of the department according to the 2007 version, 27-year-old Regina Pak. Regina gained fame as an ace in her field by solving several complicated cases. Thus, in the spring and summer of 2007, she established the circumstances of the death of a man whose body was discovered in May in the Moshkarikha channel with a car battery tied to his neck.

And at the end of 2007, Pak brought to light the murderers of Astrakhan resident Farkhad Ilyasov, who was kidnapped from his home. First of all, she visited his home and searched it. The investigator searched the man’s entire home, and in the end her efforts were rewarded. Pak had in her hands a summons to the investigator, who summoned Ilyasov to a confrontation with a certain Ilyichev. A little later it turned out that he was suspected of defrauding Farhad of three thousand rubles. At the same time, Ilyichev repeatedly suggested that Ilyasov resolve the matter peacefully, expressing his readiness to give the money, but Farhad was full of intentions to send the offender to prison. Pak immediately thought that this criminal case and Ilyasov’s disappearance were connected – and she was not mistaken. Having found out all the ins and outs of Ilyichev and studied the details of his calls from his mobile operator received from the mobile operator, Regina discovered that he had his own connections with the criminal world. It was through prison circles that the man found two repeat offenders and, for a reward, begged him to help in a delicate matter – to eliminate the stubborn Ilyasov. Having tricked Ilyasov into a car, the bandits took the poor man to the bank of a dam in the village of Travino, Kamyzyaksky district, where they alternately beat him on the head with a bat, and then finished him off with a knife in the heart. The body was hidden there – in the reeds. Thanks to Pak, the body was quickly discovered, and next to it was his cell phone, dropped by one of the criminals, which became concrete evidence against the killer in court. Investigator Pak was thanked.

The killer heard voices

Just as in the case of Ilyichev, Pak immediately guessed that Grigoriev had something to do with the disappearance of Kamagin.

During a search of the suspect’s apartment, blood stains were found. The examination showed that it was Yuri’s blood. On Regina’s initiative, Vyacheslav was given a written undertaking not to leave. But the man himself categorically denied guilt. According to his version, on Friday, February 3, he and Yuri decided to celebrate the end of the work week with a feast, during which they drank a large amount of port wine and vodka. While cutting a simple snack, Kamagin accidentally injured himself – hence the blood stains. Around 11 p.m., the friend returned home, and Grigoriev, having escorted Kamagin to the door, allegedly finished off the remaining alcohol and went to bed closer to midnight. Pak, who interviewed Vyacheslav’s neighbors in advance, tried to catch the suspect – they say that there had been no light in Grigoriev’s house since 11 p.m. To which he hesitated at first, but then explained that he drank in the dark in order to save electricity.

The conversation with Grigoriev lasted several hours: it was clear that the suspect was very tired and began to get nervous. But in vain Pak tried to put the pressure on Vyacheslav – well aware that for this kind of crime he would face 6 to 15 years in prison, he continued to stand his ground and did not admit to anything. And in order to avoid further grueling interrogations, Grigoriev began to feign madness – he said that he heard unfamiliar voices in his head. He was admitted to a psychiatric clinic for examination.

Pak, meanwhile, found out what clothes Grigoriev was wearing on the day of Kamagin’s disappearance and insisted on an examination of these things, hoping that traces of blood would be found on them. But experts did not find anything similar on the fabric, and the investigator was forced to admit defeat.

Confession on my knees

A new ray of hope lit up when Kamagin’s body was exposed in the river. Forensic experts quickly determined that the victim had been strangled before entering the water. But again, there was no evidence indicating Grigoriev’s involvement. However, in April, Vyacheslav, who had recently been discharged from a mental hospital with a diagnosis of “healthy”, himself came to the Investigative Committee and, reporting that Kamagin had died at his hands, expressed his readiness to write a confession.

Grigoriev agreed to tell all the details of the massacre and, at the request of the law enforcement officers, called his lawyer to the department, who, as it turned out, was not aware of the client’s plans. Rushing to the Investigative Committee, the lawyer tried to dissuade his client from taking a rash step, but his efforts were unsuccessful.

Grigoriev began to give detailed confessions. During the investigative experiment, he indicated the area where he strangled Kamagin during a drunken quarrel, and then demonstrated in detail how he killed his friend and threw his corpse into the water. Pak quickly assigned Grigoriev to the Narimanovskoye pre-trial detention center and began actively preparing materials to transfer the case to court. But at this stage the woman was in for an extremely unpleasant surprise. Grigoriev refused all testimony, playing out a whole scene of falling in love! They say he decided to do something nice for the investigator, whom he loved with all his heart. The kneeling man admitted: turning himself in was a gift that should contribute to Park’s career growth!

Suicide note for the investigator

It took Puck a lot of effort to maintain her composure at such an unexpected scene for her. By this time, the woman had been happily married to a police captain for three years, and she was interested in Grigoriev solely as a suspect. Moreover, she did not believe at all in the feelings that suddenly flared up in Vyacheslav. Regina was sure that the cunning Grigoriev decided to resort to psychological manipulation.

Grigoriev probably expected that after confessing Regina would begin to treat him with at least sympathy, but he was mistaken. Then the man decided to take a more desperate step – he tried to commit suicide right in his jail cell. Grigoriev did not forget about the suicide note addressed to Pak.

“I decided to give up my life only because of unrequited love. I want you to know: I did not kill Kamagin” (from the suicide note of Vyacheslav Grigoriev)

However, the suicide attempt was unsuccessful. And Pak, who received the message, was once again convinced of the cunning and resourcefulness of the defendant. The prosecution requested that Grigoriev receive a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

What the polygraph said

Finally, hearings began, at which Vyacheslav, having lost hope of reciprocal feelings from Regina, again renounced his confession and tried to prove that he had incriminated himself out of love.

But the court did not heed the accused’s justifications and preferred to believe the polygraph data, which showed that Grigoriev’s confession to the crime was true with a high degree of probability. As a result, the criminal received nine years in a maximum security colony.

Vyacheslav tried to avoid punishment until the last minute by filing complaints to various authorities, but in the end he was transferred to the zone. He didn’t try to get in touch with Pak again. Perhaps he was very offended by unrequited love.

At the celebration of the first anniversary of the formation of the Investigative Committee on September 7, 2008, Pak was among three Astrakhan investigators awarded certificates for “high professionalism and exemplary performance of official duty.” A few years later, she transferred to Moscow, where she received the position of senior assistant prosecutor of one of the districts. Nothing is known about Grigoriev’s fate after his release.