Voronezh parents kill daughter in exorcism
The Koshembetovs were an ordinary family, but only at first glance
Exorcism, casting out demons — it seems like something from the distant past, from the times of witch hunts. Something that in the modern world belongs only in horror films and TV series about monster hunters. To imagine that today someone would take this ritual seriously, let alone perform it, is at the very least wild.
Alexandra was 25 years old at the time of the murder
But as Voronezh residents learned in 2011, the dark Middle Ages are just a stone«s throw from our days. That year, the whole city was rocked by the death of 25-year-old Alexandra, who was tortured by her own parents in the process of »casting out a demon.« Today we recall the details of that horrific tragedy and explain why no demons were actually involved in what happened.
Sasha«s last activity on social media was on January 7, the last day of her life
An ordinary family…
That very building on Perederytkina Street — in the center
The family of Sergey and Elena Koshembetov (in some sources — Koshembetov. — Ed. note) seemed at first glance completely ordinary. He was a former flight attendant who later became a driver; she was a single mother with a son, working as a kindergarten nanny. They met in Bishkek, where they lived in the 1990s. They married, and two girls were born: the elder, Alexandra, and the younger, Olya.
During the investigative experiment, the parents demonstrated exactly how they tortured their daughter
By the mid-2000s, most of the Koshembetov relatives had moved to Russia. Elena«s sister moved to Lipetsk Region and lured the relative there too. But the family didn»t settle in Dobrinka, Lipetsk Region, and in the late 2010s they moved to Voronezh. The elder daughter, Sasha, stayed in Lipetsk, where she married and gave birth to two girls — even now, her social media page mostly features only photos of her daughters.
Elena was not shy about showing exactly what she did to her daughter
On that page there are also comments about the Koshembetov family left after the 2011 tragedy. Among messages from people shocked by what happened, there is this one: «I»ve known this family for over 15 years and would never have thought something like this could happen.«
«Uncle Seryozha… I always thought he was the sane man in their family.»
«Sergey and Elena, Alexandra»s parents, are family to us, truly family, because throughout Sasha«s life they loved her as much as they loved Olya and Sergey (Elena»s elder son. — Ed. note) and Sasha«s girls. A colossal tragedy has occurred. Sasha»s parents have lost their human form. <…> Before throwing stones at Sasha«s parents, one must understand what or who broke and distorted their souls. Those who knew their family well will understand me.»
…with unusual problems
Since the Koshembetovs killed their elder daughter in an extremely brutal manner and then claimed they were casting out a «demon» from her, city social media and news outlets immediately put forward a version: Alexandra«s mother and father belonged to a religious sect. Elena»s elder son even told journalists that representatives of «Jehovah»s Witnesses«* — whose activities as extremists are now banned in Russia — allegedly often visited the family»s apartment.
«As far as I know, not long ago Mom got in touch with them. She often talked about the end of the world,» the young man told the publication «MOYO!»
However, the investigation revealed that neither Elena nor Sergey had ever been particularly religious. Yes, the woman read books inherited from her Baptist grandmother and watched Sunday sermons on TV, but nothing more. It was not religious fanaticism that drove her to madness, but a far more mundane and therefore more terrifying factor. Elena fell in love with her own son-in-law.
As the publication RIA «Voronezh» reported, citing case materials, it all began a year and a half before the murder. The feeling flared up suddenly, during one of their joint trips to Lipetsk Region.
«He sat down next to me, and as we drove, I felt as if I was on fire inside. He was drawn to me too. This obsession lasted about a year and a half. We only kissed a couple of times, not allowing anything more. He said that only I truly understood him,» Elena herself testified.
The woman tried to pray away the sinful feeling, but it did not pass, aggravating the mental state of the future killer. Most wildly, Sergey Koshembetov, who had suddenly found himself the third wheel in a love triangle, knew about everything. The couple«s younger daughter, Olya, later said that her father even approved of Elena»s relationship with her son-in-law and called it «love from God.» Sergey said that last phrase a month before he helped kill his elder daughter.
«It lasted about five hours»
Christmas 2011 was approaching. Elena«s feelings for her own daughter»s husband had apparently reached their peak. And then Alexandra unconsciously added fuel to the fire: she told her parents that «devils had recently taken her,» that she had memory lapses — and all because she had learned about the love affair between her closest people.
On January 7, the whole family gathered in the Koshembetovs« apartment on Perederytkina Street: Elena and Sergey, the elder daughter Sasha with her husband and both daughters, the younger Olya, and Elena»s father and aunt. For inexplicable reasons, Elena chose Christmas for an official explanation with the family. The conversation did not go well: the son-in-law-lover fled, and Alexandra began exchanging mutual accusations of being possessed by Satan with her mother.
And then… Here is how Olya, who was only 13 at the time, described what happened to the investigator: «Sasha asked for my help. She said that if I didn»t support her, our parents would kill her. It all looked very much like madness, but I was afraid to contradict Mom and kept silent. Then I went to another room and heard my parents beating Sasha. She screamed. Then they started pouring water into her mouth, pinching her nose. From a bottle that Mom said contained holy water. Grandma, at Mom«s demand, brought more water from the kitchen. When I came into my parents» room some time later, I saw Sasha lying on her back, Mom holding her arms and legs, and Dad sitting on top of her chest and pouring water into her mouth. Sasha lay motionless. Terrible sounds came, as if she was choking. Mom demanded that we repeat: «Come out, Satan!» This went on for a long time, about five hours, probably.«
One wants to believe that these are the only details the child«s brain vividly remembered. Because Elena and Sergey didn»t just pour water into their daughter«s mouth. The mother tore out part of her own child»s internal organs through her abdomen while the father held the girl down.
«I started biting her stomach, then I… He says: »Grab the navel.« I grabbed it and was not supposed to let go,» Elena herself described her actions during the investigative experiment, demonstrating that she held the «navel» not with her hands — but with her mouth.
Afterwards, the woman, by her own words, «walked for a long time» over her daughter«s body, »wanted to crucify her, nail her to the floor with nails along with herself.« The crucifixion failed, so the parents wrapped the body of the murdered woman in a blanket and lay down to sleep next to her, telling their younger daughter that Sasha would resurrect in three days.
The younger girl, despite the shock, had the presence of mind to do what the elderly relatives in the apartment had not done — she called an ambulance. The scene that opened up to the doctors was so horrific that it is no wonder rumors of a sect spread through the city afterwards.
«Our daughter was already dead when we did this to her»
In the following weeks and months, what happened in the apartment on Perederytkina Street gradually became clearer. The Koshembetovs themselves played no small part in this, readily giving testimony. After all, in their opinion, they had done nothing wrong.
According to the couple«s version, they wanted only one thing from Alexandra — for her to drink five liters of holy water and be rid of the »demon.« They began beating and literally torturing the girl only when she refused. Elena was not at all shy about talking to journalists during the trial and saying that it was all »God«s work.»
«Our daughter was already dead when we did this to her… Why were we summoned for questioning so little? I believe the investigation did a poor job of understanding this case,» Elena continued to insist even at the sentencing stage, speaking to «Komsomolskaya Pravda.»
Participants in the trial noted that the Koshembetovs did not appear mentally ill.
«Externally, the husband and wife gave the impression of quite healthy, ordinary people. I have seen many insane criminals in my life, and they were different. But the nature of the crime and the way they explained their actions indicated mental problems. If you talked about abstract topics, it was impossible for a non-specialist to notice them with the naked eye,» admitted Natalya Vyalykh, who investigated the case.
Experts, however, did eventually identify mental problems, and very serious ones. Elena was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and Sergey with induced delusional disorder (meaning he did not invent delusional ideas himself but believed what his wife told him).
Given the diagnoses, instead of the maximum punishment under Article 105 — life imprisonment — the court sentenced the Koshembetovs to compulsory treatment. Their subsequent fate is unknown. The husband of the murdered Alexandra, according to media reports, left for Israel with the children before the verdict was handed down.
* An extremist organization whose activities are banned in the Russian Federation.
