Dmitry Nikolaevich Balakin (born February 24, 1985, in Ruzayevka, Mordovian ASSR, RSFSR), known as the "Saransk Maniac", is a Russian spree killer. He was found guilty of the murder of three people, rape and robbery, and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Biography Balakin was born in the Ruzayevsky District as the family's second child, having two brothers. In his youth, he was aggressive, and in the senior classes always demanded money from weaker classmates and lower grade students, and then from passers-by. From 2000 to 2002, he was held four times as criminally responsible, but being a minor, he was only dismissed only with warnings and conditional terms. In 2003, in the hope of getting rid of problems with law enforcement agencies, the family moved to Nizhny Novgorod. However, Dmitry's behavior did not change and just a few days after the move, he robbed two women's valuables, and was soon detained by police officers. The court sentenced him to two years in a prison colony. However, in the second half of 2004, Balakin was released early for exemplary behavior. For some time Dmitry lived with his mother and brothers in the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, but in March 2005 he returned to Saransk. He first got a job as a night watchman at a construction site, then as an auto mechanic. He soon met 30-year-old Elena Arkhipova, whom had a son, and they began to live together. Balakin was regarded positively by his neighbors. Murders On September 1, 2005, Balakin met with 20-year-old student Kristina Fedyakina, who was returning home late at night, and volunteered to accompany her to her house, to which she agreed. Just a few meters away from the house, Balakin forced the girl into the bush, where he raped her. The shocked girl then walked calmly to the house after the sexual act. Balakin, by his own words, felt an unprecedented physical and emotional upsurge. He caught up with the victim, dragged her back into the bushes where he raped her again, and then strangled her with the harness of her bag. Then he stole a purse, a mobile phone, as well as all jewelry and valuables from her bag, and disappeared. In the evening of September 8, 2005, Balakin met with student Ekaterina Tarasova near a store, and offered to accompany her home, to which she agreed. In the first secluded place, he raped and then