His father died early, and his mother indulged Smirnov in every possible way and said that he was the best, yet did not allow him to communicate with peers, go to dances or meet with girls.

[citation needed] On 3 September 1979, on the bank of the Izhora River, the body of 8-year-old Marina Koshkina was found.

Smirnov wanted to cut off a piece from the boy's body and use it for food, but a passing bicyclist frightened him off.

[citation needed] Smirnov did not always kill his victims, but the raped women did not report anything to the police because of shame.

While under arrest, Smirnov happily talked about his crimes, confessing to a fifth murder of an elderly woman, whom he had raped.

He had left her purse on the road and moved her corpse by car, the victim's death being initially written off as a traffic collision.

There were conspiracy theories that Smirnov was not shot, but left alive so his psychopathic nature could be studied.