Vladimir Cheskidov, 51, was arrested in Russia’s Chelyabinsk last week and is now facing charges of murder, rape and kidnapping. He is suspected both of having kept a woman locked in his basement for 14 years where he allegedly raped her over 1,000 times and of having murdered and dismembered a woman he called his wife, reports Russian 74.ru.
It was in 2009 that the now 33-year-old woman, referred to in Russian media as Ekaterina, was kidnapped by Vladimir Cheskidov and then locked in a makeshift dungeon in his basement in the village of Smoleno located in the remote Ural Mountains.
Fourteen years later, she managed to escape captivity during which she was allegedly systematically abused, tortured and raped. The only times she was allowed to leave the basement were to do household chores or take care of Cheskidov’s mother, Valentina Cheskidova, 72, who lived with her son.
On occasions when Cheskidov himself left the residence, he is said to have tied Ekaterina to the bed in the basement and taped her mouth.
Murdered and dismembered woman he called his wife
According to Ekaterina, another woman was said to have been in the house when she was kidnapped – a woman whom Cheskidov called his wife and whom he stabbed to death in 2011.
After the murder, he allegedly dismembered the body and buried the remains in the basement of the house, something that Russian police have confirmed. According to Ekaterina, she was forced to help with both the dismemberment and the burial of the body parts.
In connection with a house search in the home, the police confiscated, among other things, laptops, a collection of CDs containing pornography, mouthpieces and sex toys that are suspected of having been used in connection with Ekaterina’s torture.
Was urged by the mother to escape
Although Valentina Cheskidova, who was also arrested for involvement in the kidnapping, denies any crime and states that her son and Ekaterina shared a “mutual love” for each other, it was she who urged the 33-year-old to flee when the son was forced to leave the house by ambulance in connection with a psychotic outburst.
According to the New York Post Cheskidov is suspected of rape, murder and kidnapping and faces at least 25 years in prison.