Man murders pregnant wife to avoid paying child maintenance

Sadulo Kalinin, 45, invited his five-month pregnant wife, Margarita, 33, on a shopping trip but instead knocked her unconscious then took her into some secluded woods close to the Russian city of Novosibirsk where he strangled and buried her. According to the police, the crime was motivated by Margarita’s demand for more money, threatening legal action if he didn’t support her and their five children.

Police say he had resigned from his job and had returned to his family home in Tajikistan with all of his belongings.

After discovering his blood-stained car, detectives were able to track him down with help from their counterparts in Tajikistan. Sadulo then confessed to the murder and revealed where he’d buried his wife’s body. Several days prior to the crime, a court ruled that he would have to hand over 50 per cent of his earnings to Margarita to spend on their children.