Apartment killer: a series of brutal murders in Moscow and the Moscow region has been solved

A series of brutal murders committed in Moscow and the Moscow region for the illegal acquisition of metropolitan real estate has been revealed. At least three people, including a 9-year-old girl, became victims of 38-year-old Andrey Leontiev. The child's body was found 16 years later by a lake in Voskresensk. The criminal was hiding in the United States, but was deported and detained at Vnukovo airport by Russian law enforcement officers. The details of the high—profile case are in the Izvestia article.

The criminal catch of a fisherman

The other day, a criminal story stretching back more than a decade and a half received an unexpected sequel. In 2010, 44-year-old Alice Vasilyeva and her nine-year-old daughter Alyona disappeared without a trace in Moscow. The missing were searched everywhere, witnesses were interviewed, but to no avail. Six months later, on May 25, 2011, a resident of Voskresensk discovered a suitcase with a load tied to it at the bottom of the lake. Inside was the body of a woman, who turned out to be the same Alice Vasilyeva. Divers searched the bottom of the reservoir, but it was not possible to find the body of the girl who disappeared with her mother. The case remained "hanging", and they remembered about it only in 2023.

13 years later: a new murder

In October 2023, a man, Sergei Gorbachenko, disappeared in the capital. A year later, his body with signs of violent death was found buried on the territory of a garden plot in the Noginsky district of the Moscow region. Even then, investigators were alerted by a coincidence revealed during the analysis of databases: on the eve of the disappearance, both the woman in 2010 and the man in 2023 transferred their apartments to the same person. He turned out to be 38-year-old Andrei Leontiev, who had previously been convicted of robbery and robbery. However, it was not possible to detain the suspect — he disappeared. This circumstance finally convinced the operatives of Leontiev's guilt.

According to investigators, shortly before the murder, he persuaded Alice Vasilyeva to give him the right to inherit half of her apartment. Then he killed the woman, packed the body in a suitcase, and took it to Voskresensk, where he dumped it into a lake with a load tied to the corpse. The second victim of the suspect was Sergei Gorbachenko, whom the attacker persuaded to sell the apartment after drinking alcohol together, and then killed.
Escape to the United States and deportation

Realizing that he had come to the attention of law enforcement agencies, Leontiev hurriedly left for the United States. In 2025, he was put on the wanted list through Interpol channels. He was soon detained by the US Migration Service for violating migration laws, and an in-depth check revealed that the Russian was also wanted for murder. The criminal was deported, and was met and detained at Vnukovo airport by operatives of the GUUR of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

Detectives continued to work with the arrested murder suspect. As a result, the staff, in cooperation with colleagues from the Department of Internal Affairs for the Eastern District of the capital, the Investigative Committee and the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia, established new circumstances of the crimes. The main result is that the remains of a girl who was killed 16 years ago have been found. Her body was buried near a lake in Voskresensk, not far from the place where her mother's remains were found. A genetic examination confirmed that the remains found belong to Alice Vasilyeva's daughter, Alyona.

In addition, a possible accomplice to the triple murder has been identified — the detainee's brother. He also lives in the United States and has already been put on the Interpol wanted list.

The housing issue

Retired police colonel and criminologist Valentin Stanovov, author of the book "Notes of an Old Detective," noted in an interview with Izvestia that such crimes are not uncommon. Unfortunately, criminals are often willing to do anything to seize real estate in the capital, worth tens of millions of rubles. The disclosure of such crimes after so many years is evidence of the high level of professionalism of Russian detectives.

"In this case, we see a classic scheme of real estate fraud that has escalated into particularly serious crimes. Socially vulnerable people, such as single women and alcohol abusers, become victims. They are given confidence, and then persuaded to rewrite the property. After that, the victims are disposed of. The investigation has done a tremendous job, establishing a link between the crimes with a difference of 13 years. This indicates the high professionalism of the criminal investigation officers. Uncovering the "hangers" is the most difficult part of our work," Stanovov emphasized.

The expert also drew attention to the fact that the criminal exploited gaps in legislation and the gullibility of citizens for personal gain. "People don't always realize the consequences when they sign documents on the renewal of property rights. In this case, the perpetrator acted cynically and coldly. Of particular concern is the involvement of his brother in the scheme, which indicates the organized nature of the criminal group," the criminologist added.

The investigation is ongoing

By the way, the investigation has already established that Leontiev fraudulently took over at least one more apartment and a plot of land in the Moscow region, registering them for his parents. He did not manage to kill the woman who owned this property, because GUUR operatives were already on his trail. As a result, the murderer now faces a life sentence.