▁to ▁K ras no yar sk . ▁ ▁So on ▁Er sh ov ▁ra ped ▁a ▁ 1 6 - year - old ▁voc ational ▁school ▁student ▁on ▁the ▁banks ▁of ▁the ▁Y en ise i ▁River , ▁but ▁left ▁her ▁alive . ▁Then , ▁on ▁November ▁ 2 8 , ▁ 1 9 9 2 , ▁he ▁ra ped ▁and ▁ham mer ed ▁a ▁ 4 2 - year - old ▁food service ▁employee ▁with ▁a ▁stick . ▁Over ▁the ▁next ▁three ▁years , ▁he ▁committed ▁another ▁ 1 8 ▁ra pes ▁of ▁women , ▁ 1 5 ▁of ▁which ▁resulted ▁in ▁murder . ▁Vict ims ▁of ▁the ▁man iac ▁were ▁both ▁young ▁girls ▁and ▁elder ly ▁women . ▁One ▁of ▁the ▁investig ators ▁re called : ▁" I ▁got ▁the ▁impression ▁that ▁he ▁was ▁killing ▁to ▁hide ▁traces ▁of ▁his ▁cr imes ; ▁in ▁one ▁case ▁- ▁ra pe , ▁in ▁another ▁- ▁rob ber y . ▁How ▁to ▁er ase ▁traces ... The ▁be ast . ▁He ▁is ▁the ▁be ast ▁- ▁purely ▁animal ▁instinct s ." ▁ ▁In ▁parallel , ▁Er sh ov ▁committed ▁about ▁ 4 0 ▁rob ber ies , ▁some ▁of ▁which ▁resulted ▁in ▁the ▁killing ▁of ▁vict ims .   One ▁of ▁them ▁was ▁a ▁polic eman ▁who ▁tried ▁to ▁det ain ▁him . ▁While ▁trying ▁to ▁capture ▁the ▁criminal , ▁the ▁main ▁forces ▁of ▁the ▁K ras no yar sk ▁police ▁were ▁abandoned . ▁However , ▁he ▁was ▁det ained ▁by ▁accident . ▁On