Charges: Shakopee Man Says He Knew He 'Probably Killed' His Girlfriend
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 31-year-old man is accused of murder after his girlfriend was found dead in a Shakopee home on Monday, according to charges filed in Scott County Court.
Sergey Balandin was charged with second-degree murder in the death of his 34-year-old girlfriend.
According to the charges, Shakopee police were called at about 10:15 a.m. to 1462 Savanna Drive on a report from St. Paul police that a man had just killed or injured his wife in Shakopee. When officers got to the residence, the victim's mother answered the door. She didn't speak English well and told officers her daughter was sleeping and didn't feel well.
Officers entered and saw one bedroom with the door closed and locked. They called for the woman, but there was no answer. Officers entered and found the room in disarray. There was a large blood stain on the floor, and they found the woman on the floor under the bed.
The complaint states she was naked from the waist down, didn't have a pulse and wasn't breathing. Her face was badly bruised, bloody and unrecognizable.
Dispatchers told police the suspect, Balandin, was hiding near the Hampton Inn in Shakopee. He was located and arrested, and officers learned the victim was his girlfriend, and she lived with her mother at the Shakopee residence.
The complaint states the victim's mother told police she heard a heated and often violent argument between the two the night before. It ended in the middle of the night or early morning.
Authorities spoke with Balandin's brother, who told police Balandin called him that morning saying he needed a ride. He picked Balandin up and noticed he was "shaking" and appeared intoxicated. He drove Balandin near the Lowe's store, where he ran. Balandin's brother told police he feared for the woman's safety because he's violent when intoxicated saw the two fighting the day before.
The complaint states Balandin spoke with a man named Andrey Akimov, who told police Balandin called him from near the Lowe's and asked for a ride. Balandin told him the victim was not able to move and may be under a bed.
According to the complaint, officers searched the area where they found Balandin. They found a bloody knife on the ground near where he was arrested. They also found a black bag, which contained bloody clothes, a bloody broken charger cable and a folding knife.
The complaint states Balandin spoke with authorities in the Scott County Jail. He said he "blacked out" the night before and remembered drinking and having sex with the victim. He then woke up in his bathtub the next morning, and said he had "no idea" what happened to her. He said they had not been arguing, but admitted he knew she was dead and that he "most likely, probably" killed her. He admitted he didn't try to help her and tried to use household cleaners to get her blood off the floor.
He said he didn't call 911 because he wanted to "figure s**t out first."
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner identified the victim as Ruzana Semenovna Yedvabnik. The medical examiner says she died of homicidal violence, but her cause of death is pending further investigation.
If convicted, Balandin faces up to 40 years in prison.
