Russian teen jailed for six years for beheading love rival

Olena Matsneva (pictured), 17, told her boyfriend she felt ‘humiliated’ after an encounter at a party with Shustov

A Russian teenager has been given a ‘lenient’ jail sentence after killing and beheading a love rival who had ‘sexually molested’ his girlfriend.

Nikita Rasskazov, 17, repeatedly stabbed Artyom Shustov, 19, with a barbecue knife before decapitating his friend.

Then ‘blinded by rage’, he picked up the severed head by the hair, and put it in his backpack before stashing it overnight in his wardrobe alongside his bloodstained clothes.

Next morning, he took it to show his girlfriend Olena Matsneva, 17, who had earlier accused a drunk Shustov and another male of attacking her at a party and ‘touching her breasts and genitals’ as she was pinned down by a female ‘friend’.

She had refused to have sex with him and he started ‘pestering her,’ she said.

She felt ‘humiliated’, she told her boyfriend.

Matsneva was described as ‘distraught’ by Rasskazov’s actions, and he later threw the severed head into a river weighted down by stones in the Russian city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

He claimed he was trying to ‘prove his love’ for his girlfriend by showing her the macabre ‘souvenir’.

Nikita Rasskazov (pictured), 17, repeatedly stabbed Artyom Shustov, 19, with a barbecue knife before decapitating him

Nikita Rasskazov (pictured), 17, repeatedly stabbed Artyom Shustov, 19, with a barbecue knife before decapitating him

Shustov

His distinctive tattooed chest before his murder

Pictured left: Shustov. Right: His distinctive tattooed chest, photographed before his murder

The girl had posted a month before the killing an image of her and Shustov together, possibly at the party which led to the scandal

The girl had posted a month before the killing an image of her and Shustov together, possibly at the party which led to the scandal

Matsneva (pictured) was described as 'distraught' by Rasskazov's murderous behaviour

Rasskazov later threw Shustov's severed head into a river weighted down by stones in the Russian city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Pictured: Matsneva

Matsneva (pictured) was described as being made ‘distraught’ by Rasskazov’s murderous behaviour, and he later threw Shustov’s severed head into a river weighted down by stones in the Russian city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur

A court ruled that Rasskazov should serve a sentence of six years and ten months for murder and desecrating the man’s body.

He was ordered to pay 2.19 million roubles (£28,700) to Shustov’s family.

Shustov’s father today reacted furiously to the punishment – which was a year less than the prosecutors had demanded and three years less than the maximum for a 16-year-old murderer – and plans to appeal.

Dmitry Shustov, 42, fumed that no financial compensation could bring back his son.

‘Of course, I think that the sentence is unfair,’ he said.

‘The punishment cannot be compared with human life.

‘In February, Artyom would have turned 20.’

The murder was carried out with ‘particular cruelty’, and his son was stabbed at least 15 times before his head was cut off, he said.

Legal experts also expressed ‘surprise’ at the ‘light sentence’ despite Rasskazov expressing remorse over the murder.

A court ruled that Rasskazov should serve a sentence of six years and ten months for murder and desecrating the man's body. Pictured: The headless corpse in the woods

A court ruled that Rasskazov should serve a sentence of six years and ten months for murder and desecrating the man’s body. Pictured: The headless corpse in the woods

One said: ‘This is hardly a deterrent.’

He had ‘not intended to kill or behead his friend, but to make him apologise to his girlfriend for the sexual assault,’ reported The Siberian Times. 

But when they met as agreed in a park in the city, the talk ‘turned to a quarrel and then a fight’.

This led to Shustov’s death.

Yet Rasskazov had inflammable liquid with him, which he poured over the decapitated body of his friend.

The court heard he intended to set the remains on fire, suggesting the attack was carefully planned.

But his matches were damp and failed to light.

Mr Shustov said the court should have classified this as a murder carried out with ‘particular cruelty’, which could have led to a longer sentence.

His son was stabbed at least 15 times before his head was cut off, he said.

The attack was plainly premeditated since the killer had carried around the knife in his backpack for a full week before he acted, he said.

The girl had posted a month before the killing an image of her and Shustov together, possibly at the party which led to the scandal.

Pictured: The party that led to the bad blood between Shustov and Rasskazov

Pictured: The party that led to the bad blood between Shustov and Rasskazov

Shustov's head was reportedly carried in Rasskazov's backpack before being stored in a wardrobe

The body in the woods

Pictured: The headless body in the woods. Shustov’s head was reportedly carried in Rasskazov’s backpack before being stored in a wardrobe 

Rasskazov claimed he was trying to 'prove his love' for his girlfriend by showing her the macabre 'souvenir' - his love rival's head

Rasskazov claimed he was trying to ‘prove his love’ for his girlfriend by showing her the macabre ‘souvenir’ – his love rival’s head

The picture is spooky since it only shows his head as she makes a shocked expression.

Another shows Shustov’s naked torso and a chest tattoo that was also visible on his beheaded body dumped in the park.

Friends told police that the girl had admitted to Rasskazov that she had oral sex with Shustov, but claimed he had forced himself on her.

In fact, say the friends, she had started kissing Shustov and had initiated their tryst.

Shustov's father, Dmitry (pictured), today reacted furiously to the punishment - which was a year less than the prosecutors had demanded and three years less than the maximum for a 16-year-old murderer - and plans to appeal

Shustov’s father, Dmitry (pictured), today reacted furiously to the punishment – which was a year less than the prosecutors had demanded and three years less than the maximum for a 16-year-old murderer – and plans to appeal

A friend of Shustov said: 'He had no enemies, ever'

Olena Matsneva

A friend of Shustov (pictured left) said: ‘He had no enemies, ever.’ Right: 

‘We were in the apartment with them at the time and personally saw what was happening,’ said one.

‘The next day, Olena obviously regretted what had happened and she told her boyfriend Nikita.

‘Yet she explained it as if Artyom had harassed her and tried to rape her,’ reported the local newspaper.

‘Nikita was shocked and asked Artyom to meet and talk.

‘They knew each other from before. Artyom agreed and they arranged their meeting at the entrance of the park.’

Witnesses at Railway Workers Park in the city (pictured) of 260,000 people in the Russian Far East said that during the argument Shustov had tried to flee when he saw Rasskazov had a knife

Witnesses at Railway Workers Park in the city (pictured) of 260,000 people in the Russian Far East said that during the argument Shustov had tried to flee when he saw Rasskazov had a knife

Shustov arrived with a female friend called Daria but she left when the pair started to argue.

Witnesses at Railway Workers Park in the city of 260,000 people in the Russian Far East said that during the argument Shustov had tried to flee when he saw Rasskazov had a knife.

A friend said: ‘Nikita was spending a lot of time in online groups devoted to maniacs and often carried a knife with him.’

A friend of the dead man said: ‘He had no enemies, ever.’ 

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