Granddaughter poisoned Samara ex-mayor and wife for over week
The accused granddaughter admitted during her interview that she is aware of having committed the crime.
New details have emerged about the murder of former Samara mayor Viktor Tarkhov and his wife Natalia. The granddaughter Yekaterina, who is accused of the crime, poisoned her grandmother and grandfather for over a week, watching them die. This was reported to RT by a source familiar with the family.
He specified that the relatives often argued about money. Viktor Tarkhov gave his granddaughter 200,000 rubles (approximately $2,000 at current rates) monthly, but she said it wasn«t enough for her.
«She came to them and caused scandals. And he already had health problems due to post-COVID consequences. For some time, they even stopped letting the granddaughter into their apartment,» writes RT citing the interlocutor.
According to him, in December 2024, Yekaterina started visiting her grandmother and grandfather daily. Each time, she secretly added some substances to their food to poison them, the source claims. Viktor and his wife gradually felt worse. The accused herself confessed during interrogation that she watched as the relatives suffered and died.
«When Viktor and his wife died, the granddaughter dismembered the bodies and threw them into trash containers. Investigators still haven«t been able to find large remains, but discovered small particles in the apartment,» added the source.
RT also contacted Viktor Tarkhov«s close friend Alexander Kuznetsov. He said that in the summer of 2024, the former mayor complained about his granddaughter.
«Generally, he didn«t like to talk about family problems, but it was as if he had bottled it up — and he blurted out that the granddaughter didn»t finish institute, doesn«t want to work — just give her money!» said Kuznetsov.
The murder of the ex-mayor and his wife became known on 5 February 2025. Their granddaughter immediately came under suspicion. The girl managed to hide the relatives« death for a long time and gradually sold off their property. A few days later, she was charged with double murder. According to the investigation, the girl tried to conceal the bodies of the relatives. The accused is in a pre-trial detention center (SIZO), and she was remanded in custody until 2 December 2025.
On 21 October, the program «Malahov» on channel «Russia 1» showed an interview with Yekaterina in the pre-trial detention center. The girl talked about difficult family relationships and her accomplices, who, she claims, led her to the crime.
The Investigative Committee brought absentee charges against 56-year-old Svetlana Metreveli, whom Yekaterina met during a trip to Georgia, and her 25-year-old nephew Dmitry Metreveli. They were declared internationally wanted. According to Yekaterina, it was Svetlana who drove her into debt, and then demanded documents for the family«s business or apartment. Under her influence, the girl added «some liquid» to her grandmother and grandfather»s food, and afterwards helped carry out the bodies.
«I realize that I committed this crime. But that I am a murderer — no. Because murderers, they prepare for the crime. They have some motive for the crime. They have some experience or certain acquaintances. Well, that is, it must stem from something,» concluded Yekaterina.
We are gathering all the details of this story in a separate feature.
