Angry in the Great White North

From America's Most Wanted:

Mikhail Drachev is wanted in Arizona for the murder of 21-year-old Konstantin Simberg.

Konstantin was an informant for Phoenix Police Department and worked closely with Detective Tom Britt. On December 14, 2001, Tom received a call on his cell phone from Konstantin, but Tom was already on the line with someone else. He told Konstantin to hold on for a second so he could get off the other line. When Tom clicked back over from call waiting, he heard a scream and what sounded like a physical struggle. Then the line went dead. Two days later, Konstantin's body was found in Fossil Creek, Arizona, a rural area more than 100 miles from Phoenix.

Cops believe the three men attacked Konstantin while he was on the phone with Tom Britt. Here's what officials say happened next: The attackers kept Konstantin tied up over night then drove him to Fossil Creek the following morning where they took Konstantin into the woods and stabbed him in the back with a knife. According to officials, the gang then doused Konstantin with an accelerant and lit him on fire. Thinking he was dead, police say, the men covered Konstantin with rocks to hide his body, left him for dead and took off.

But Konstantin wasn't dead. After his attackers fled, badly burned and bleeding from his wounds, police say Konstantin crawled into a nearby creek. He floated about 100 yards downstream before finally succumbing to the injuries. Chris Andrews was convicted of murder and is currently serving a life sentence. Dennis Tskoukanov was also convicted. Mikhail Drachev, however, is still on the run.

Toronto Police just issued this email release:

Saturday, April 21, 2007 - 12:38 PM
Fugitive Squad
416-200-4688

Members of the Toronto Police Service Fugitive Squad, 23 Division Major Crime Unit and Canada Border Services Agency have arrested a foreign fugitive wanted for murder and kidnapping.

Officers from 23 Division Major Crime Unit contacted the Fugitive Squad, believing they had identified the location of the suspect after a woman contacted police, believing a man she knew was featured on the America's Most Wanted website.

It is alleged that:

• the accused was involved in the murder of 21-year-old Konstantin Simberg in Arizona in 2001,
• the victim was a police informant who was doused with an accelerant, stabbed in the back and ultimately died from his injuries,
• two other men involved in the attack were captured, but the fugitive left the United States to avoid prosecution and began living in Toronto.

On Friday, April 20, 2007, members of the Toronto Police Fugitive Squad, assisted by the 23 Division Major Crime Unit, entered a Rexdale-area apartment and arrested Mikhail Drachev, 24.

Drachev is currently in the custody of the Canada Border Services Agency.

AMW might seem like trashy voyeuristic entertainment to some people, but it works, and the people in Rexdale who've had a vicious killer living in their midst are certainly breathing a sigh of relief.

I suppose it's a good thing it appears that a death sentence isn't on the table based on the sentences already delivered in this case. I'd hate for Drachev to spend a moment longer than necessary in Canada because some bleeding hearts in Canada get a case of the vapours at the thought of someone as vicious as Drachev might get what's coming to him.

Imagine if some people had their way and Canadians weren't allowed to watch American television.

Check out other entries from the True Crime category
Results will open in a new window.