Russian Gambler on Video Poisoning Parents May Have Killed More, Cops Say

Posted on: July 29, 2024, 05:01h. 

Last updated on: July 30, 2024, 09:54h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.

A gambler from the city of Balashikha in Russia’s Moscow Oblast has been caught on video secretly poisoning his mother and stepfather as part of a plot to inherit their money. Now, Russian police believe he may have killed more people.

Artyom Missyura, Артём Миссюра, poisoner, Russia, online gambling
An image of Artyom Missyura from his Telegram feed. The 25-year-old attempted to poison his family for six months before he was caught in the act. He is now suspected of two other murders and additional attempted murders. (Image: Artyom Missyura/Telegram)

Artyom Missyura, 25, a math tutor, lived with the victims and his sister in their apartment in a residential complex in the city, and had run up large debts to online gambling sites, according to Russian media reports.

Food Laced with Poison

Missyura began poisoning his relatives in January, according to prosecutors. He did this by adding a substance daily to their food and water, authorities believe, although they have not named the substance. This continued until June when his mother and stepfather were hospitalized.

At a loss to find a diagnosis, doctors suspected foul play and told the victims to speak to the police who suggested installing video cameras inside the apartment. That’s when they learned the shocking truth.

Video released to the public shows Missyura spooning an unknown substance into a jar of what appears to be sugar or salt. Further tests showed that almost all the food at his parents’ home had been laced with the substance.

Missyura, who appears to have walked straight out of a Dostoyevsky novel, confessed to the poisonings during police interviews. He admitted he planned to inherit and then sell off his parents’ apartment to pay off his gambling debts.

Additional Crimes?

Missyura has been charged with attempted murder, but Russian police are now investigating the suspicious death of one of his friends. That person died shortly after drinking juice provided by Missyura.

Police are also looking into the death of the suspect’s grandmother. Missyura borrowed around half a million rubles (US$5.7K) from her before she died last April at the age of 69. He didn’t repay the debt, according to Moscow-area news station MSK1.

Meanwhile, Missyura’s ex-girlfriend ended up in hospital with serious kidney problems. When she was eventually discharged, she discovered he had taken out a loan of 600K rubles (US7K) in her name.

Her brother also fell sick after Missyura served him a crab salad, according to MSK1.

“He had one destructive passion – money. A crazy passion,” a friend told Russian media. “He was caught stealing, and he would answer honestly: ‘When I see other people’s money, it seems to me that it is mine.’”